The Story Of Us
by ChescaLynn
Summary: Hogwarts learns of Draco's past through the arrival of his only childhood friend. Follow Draco Malfoy as his story is changed forever, and he learns exactly what it means to have a soulmate. Rated M for future mature content. Draco/OC, George/OC/Fred.
1. Amelia

_Chapter Inspiration: S.L.U.T. || Bea Miller  
_

 **The Past**

(1986)

He'd met her when they were both 5 years old.

He could still remember the giant sign that hung over the staircase to the second floor, the champagne glasses whose trays could be called for with the word 'Drink'. He'd watched his mother spin the charm on those trays for hours, his brown eyes taking in every murmur and flick of her wand.

But the party made him uncomfortable, nearly anxious. He was smaller than all the wizards and witches that had arrived, and cruel laughter mixed with harsh whispers were the only things he could manage to hear.

So he took his refuge in the only room in the house he was sure no one would enter. The kitchens.

The house elves weren't unaccustomed to seeing their young master take refuge in here, and instantly cleared him a spot at the small black and white checkered table that he had ordered the house elves to place there...but he stood still at the sight he saw.

A young girl sat at the table, her brilliant red hair curled and tied behind her head. A few white flowers adorned the back, and her blue eyes were set feverishly reading the last book he had left on the table top.

"Hullo."

She looked up at him, her nose wrinkling the lines of freckles on her cheeks. "Who are you?" Her accent was as american as the woman the party was for.

"That's my book." He stated simply.

She cocked her head to the side, "You aren't reading it."

"I was...page 67. I had it marked."

The girl looked indifferent, "Well when I get to page 67, we can both read it."

And with that, she went back to reading.

He sat down on the second chair and stared at her with a pout until she looked up, "I wanted to read it now!" He exclaimed, crossing his arms.

With a loud clap she shut the book. He jumped at the sudden sound. "Look here, you bothersome boy, I am reading this book. It's your book, but you haven't asked me nicely for it back. So until I am asked with the proper res...resa...respect," She finally landed on the word, "That I should get, I will be reading this book."

He sat there in a confused silence. She wasn't his mother or father, so why should he have to ask? The house elves never made him ask...and the only boy he'd had over that was his age didn't make him ask either.

Finally, after a few moments, he spoke up. "May...may I please have my book back?"

The girl's stormy face cleared with a smile, as she shut the book and handed it to him. He took it back with a grateful smile.

"What's your name?" She asked him, placing her elbows on the table and her hands on her cheeks.

He grinned as he straightened up, "Draco, Draco Lucius Malfoy."

She held out a hand, "I'm Amelia, Amelia Durst Adams."

And they shook hands.

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

10 Years Later

He'd never seen Malfoy look so worried.

"Are you seeing this?"

Harry tore his eyes away from Draco's face, "Seeing what?"

Hermione seemed to be glancing in the same direction as Harry had been moments ago, "Draco...he isn't sitting with any of his usual gang. He doesn't look well either-"

"Who cares what Malfoy is doing, I want to know why we're waiting." Ron grumbled, staring up at the headmaster's seat. "All the first years have been sorted and he hasn't even started his welcome speech...when do we get to eat?"

The little huff Hermione gave off made both boys look towards her, "If either of you had any sense, you'd see that this is probably related!"

Harry looked confused, "Why's that?"

She sighed and turned to him, "Well, Malfoy was the last one to enter the great hall and he didn't look happy about it. Then, I saw him tell off Pansy Parkinson for pulling him towards her, Crabb and Goyle. He's sitting all alone at the end of the table, not allowing anyone to be next to him and certainly not paying any attention to anything."

"So? Malfoy's feeling sick or something, how does that keep us from eating?" Ron whined, staring at the table as if he was willing food to appear.

Hermione gave an even more exasperated sigh, "Because, Ron, Dumbledore is obviously waiting for somebody too! And look, Hagrid and Snape are both gone from the table. Everyone's waiting for someone who is late, and Draco seems to be worried about their arrival...or their late arrival." She finished her thesis and looked back at the beach blond boy, who seemed paler then any of them had ever seen.

There was a sudden crash from outside, and a screech from a cat. The voices in the hall stopped, as everyone looked towards the open door and listened.

People were talking outside the great hall, and it caught Harry by surprise to see Malfoy stand to his feet in a strange way...almost an excitement. The people could be heard now, and Harry stopped and listened.

"And I'm telling you I do not need someone who obviously has no idea how to shower escorting me into this hall thing. And I warn you, sir, if your blasted cat attacks me one more time you will have to find a new one!"

"Miss Adams I must-" Hagrid's voice carried louder than the other two protesting voices, but all were cut off by a now very close fourth presence.

Her voice was sharp and clear, and strangely accented. The I's and E's were more blunted then most he'd heard in his life, but the authority in the girl's voice rang true.

"I assure you Professor Hagrid, that I will be able to figure out what I'm doing once I find my escort...however bloody angry I am at him for- oh!"

She'd walked right into the doorway without even noticing it.

Several things happened at once in that moment.

The first was a girl with long blond hair dropped her bags and rushed into the room. The second was another blond person from the Slytherin bench standing and running to meet her.

Draco Malfoy had never run in front of Harry unless he wanted to get _away_ from something. He had never run _towards_ someone, and his face certainly had never been this joyful.

The two children crashed together with what felt like unnatural laughs, coming from a Malfoy. He'd lifted her off the floor in his elation, and her legs swung around as the two teenagers clung to each other in a tight embrace. Whispers of confusion and awe crept across the great hall, as the most prestigious slytherins in Hogwarts laughed like what he was...a schoolboy.

Harry couldn't hear what was being said across the tables, but he felt the whole room was straining to make out the soft whispers the two were speaking to each other with. Malfoy wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger and the two shared a slightly mournful look, before the joy returned. This changed when a new voice joined the fray.

"Miss Amelia Adams, I presume?" The amused voice of Albus Dumbledore filled the room, and the two seemed to wake from their happy dream. Draco set the girl down, but everyone saw how their hands didn't let go from each other.

She was the first to speak, "Yes sir...I apologize for the wait, America seems to rush and stop at all the wrong times." And suddenly Harry knew why her accent had seemed misplaced.

The old man nodded, and motioned to the chair where the first years had been sorted nearly twenty minutes ago. The girl gave a nod and walked forward, leaving Draco looking strangely awkward, as if he hadn't meant to show any of what the entire room had seen.

Amelia walked to the front of the room, and sat in the chair. Her blue eyes scanned the room in a calculating way, and the way she carried herself made Harry wonder if there was such thing as American royalty, and if so, was he meeting one.

The sorting hat slid awkwardly over her head, and the room was once again silent.

"She'll do great in Slytherin than...with Malfoy and all." Ron muttered, looking at the newcomer with a bit more than curious interest

Hermione hissed at him, "I wonder why she left Ilvermorny to come here? And how does she know the Malfoys?"

Ron shrugged, "I dunno, maybe they were...pen pals or something."

Both Harry and Hermione shot him a look that silenced Ron very quickly.

"Cunning...resourceful...brave…" The hat took it's time with these words, "Where do you believe you belong, child."

Amelia Corinth looked pensive for a moment. "I suppose wherever you put me, sir." Was her simple answer, "I was placed in Wampus when I was in Ilvermorny, but Draco says that it's different here. More colors than animals."

The hat laughed, "Indeed, I doubt many of the students here know what a Wampus is...but-"

"It's a cat, sir." She slid in, "A very large black cat."

Harry could see Dracon waiting at the head of his table, hand grasping the wood so tightly his knuckles were white. Why was he anxious? What was worrying him so greatly?

The hat chuckled, "Better be...Gryffindor!"

The room was still for a moment after this. Eyes seemed to travel to Draco, who's face seemed to drain of what little color he had left. It was George that started clapping first, and Fred that followed second. Amelia stepped down, but began walking back to Malfoy, a confused look on her face as he shook his head. Everyone shut up to hear what she said.

"What do you mean I can't?" Her voice was low but loud enough to ring through the room.

Draco shook his head, "You're a Gryffindor, Amy...you have to sit with them."

She grabbed his arm, "But I don't get it, why?"

"Because I'm- look, I'll explain it all later but you have to go over there, Amy." Malfoy's voice was uncharacteristically soft, a worry in it as he glanced over at Harry's table. He leaned over and whispered something to her, pointing in Harry's direction, and she nodded. No doubt warning her to stay away...but when Malfoy disappeared she seemed to change.

Amelia, just for a breath, had lost the regality, the sureness...for one moment everyone was staring at her, and Harry felt a pity and an understanding well up inside him. He knew how it felt to be her.

And then suddenly, it was gone, and she was striding down the Gryffindor table, looking very keen on finding something. And Amelia found it.

"Mind if I join you?"

She was merely a few spots down, and Fred gave a surprised look at George before the twins responded simply, "Sure!"

The two boys scooted over to make a spot between them, and the girl sat down, smiling at the eyes that stared at her. "Now...I was promised food."

And accompanied by Ron's excited cry, the food appeared

* * *

 **The Past**

Amelia left three hours later.

Within that time they had played three card games, two rounds of chess that they agreed to keep a tie, and discussed books, cookies, and even America.

"It wasn't as beautiful...and it was hotter than shit."

That was all he really got when he asked about North Carolina.

His mother shut the door as the last of the guests apparated from the front step, and Lucius barked out orders to the house elves. "I want this all cleaned and put back together by tomorrow morning before breakfast. Dobby clean up this spilled champagne!"

Draco's mother took his hand and led him to his room, helping him dress in his pajamas. "You were gone for most of the party, dear...where were you?"

He raised his arms as his mother pulled the soft blue top over his chest, "I met a girl today, her name was Amelia! She wants me to call her Amy though, her mom calls her Amelia too much in her...op... open…"

"Opinion." His mother finished for him. He was surprised to see her beaming at him, "Did you like Amelia?"

"Amy, mum-"

A sharp pain hit his right shoulder, as he felt the familiar metal end of his father's cane hit him. "Don't talk back to your mother, boy. Answer her question."

Draco looked down at his now bare feet. "I liked her a lot, mother...a real lot."

His mother pursed her lips at her husband, and the little boy could feel a fear welling up inside him. "Mum...may I go to bed now?" He squeaked out.

She nodded.

As Draco slid into bed, his father's raised voice made him shiver. "Dobby make it quieter…"

The sound became less audible, and he settled in his bed. He did like Amelia...and for once, he felt like he had a friend.

(End of chapter)

 _Hello everyone!  
This story will be constructed a little differently then my other stories, as for the first 10 chapters the stories will be framed as a past memory, a present happening, and another past memory. Also in the beginning, the song inspiration for parts of the story will be above, so you can feel the mood for certain bits if you feel like it._

 _Any criticism or review is always appreciated! I'll be updating every day for the next week or so._


	2. Tea

_Inspiration: None this round_

He had been invited for tea.

This was an oddity for Draco. Whenever his parents took him out for tea it had always been an invitation directed to his father or mother, or sometimes all three of them...but this invitation was directly for him, and he would be Appareted over by his father to spend a few hours at the Adams family home.

His mother had dressed him in a suit and given him a rose to hand to her when they arrived. This confused Draco, his father never brought roses to tea...but then again, maybe it was what people did when they were young, or perhaps Draco had simply missed the giving of the flower.

His mother finished tying his tie and stood back, marveling at her work. "My sweet darling...now don't forget, you hand the flower to Amelia and you say…"

"Good afternoon madam, I am grateful for an invi...invi…" He stuttered, trying to think of the word.

Something wooden hit his arm, causing him to almost drop the flower. "Invitation." His father said firmly, "Say it again, clearly this time, boy."

Draco resisted the urge to rub his stinging arm, shying away from the cane as he started again. "Good afternoon Madam, I am grateful for an invitation from such a fine lady." He finished, looking hopefully at his father.

Lucius did not speak, only gave a nod and turned towards the door. Draco followed, clutching the flower tightly with his hand, willing the throbbing in his arm to quiet. "Father…" He regretted beginning to ask this question instantly, "Why am I calling Amelia a fine lady? She's only five."

His father turned to him and simply said, "Because you are to flatter and deceive women to get what you want from them in this world, Draco."

The boy digested this for a moment, "But...father...what do I want from Amelia?"

Now his father was annoyed, and Draco could sense it. "Amelia's family has long been known as a great American pureblood family. You are to join our families together, Draco."

He didn't understand, but a moment later his father had grabbed his shoulder. The two of them were squeezed through a tube of pain, and Draco forced his stomach to stay where it was supposed to stay.

And then they were through.

The white mansion wasn't as brilliant or large as Draco's home, but it showed the wealth and beauty of the family within. Draco was pushed forward by his father, and tenderly lifted his small fist.

He knocked once...twice...three times. A few moments passed...and then the door opened.

Amelia's mother stood at the door. Her blond hair was nearly as brilliant as the Malfoys, but not quite. Her eyes were a dark green, and they stared at Draco for a moment before a smile graced her face.

Thought it made her look less angry, it certainly did not make her look more beautiful.

"Draco Malfoy! I'm so glad you received our invitation. Amelia is awaiting you in the, oh no dear boy…" She stopped him as he reached down to untie his shoes, "You two will be meeting in the garden, so come along...such a beautiful flower, I'll make sure Bug brings out a vase for it."

"Ah...t-thank you Miss Adams." Draco managed out, before a large ugly house elf bowed low before him.

"This is Beetle, he will show you the way through the house. Go on now!"

As Draco started following the elf, he heard his father's low voice greet the woman with the same line he was supposed to give Amelia.

The house was too clean and nearly too empty. His shoes echoed around the large hall as he followed Beetle through the house. Unlike his halls, no pictures adorned the wall of Amelia or her mother, and there was no sign of a Mister Adams anywhere...the house was cold, both in temperature and in soul.

"Master Malfoy shall see Miss Amelia past this door." Beetle bowed low in front of Draco as he opened a large glass door.

He stepped through, and was caught off guard at what he saw.

The garden was the most beautiful garden he'd ever seen. Flowers seemed to slide effortlessly from one color into another down the small white stone path, and trees overhung the small tented alcove in the center of the place. Within it, Amelia sat.

Her hair was down, and he could see painful looking pins and clips discarded in a heap beside her on the ground. Any makeup that had been placed on her before had been cleaned off her face onto the strangely colored rag on the table, and he could swear he saw a pair of jeans peeking out from under the white lace dress she wore.

"Ah...Good afternoon Madam, I am grateful for an invitation from such a fine lady." He spouted off quickly, holding out to her the slightly crushed rose.

She looked at him, and for the first time he saw her in her entirety. Her red hair had an untamable look to it, and her blue eyes almost seemed brighter without the black mascara she had worn previously. Most of her freckles had been hidden at the party, but now he saw how many there were...and he saw the white scar that sat under her eye.

"Did she hit you on the head when you walked in?"

He blinked, taking in this response with many grains of salt. "I...no?"

She shrugged, "You're weird. Hey you wanna see something really cool?" Draco nodded, but she leaned forward, "It's in the back of the garden...and it's under construction...so I doubt you'll stay clean. You sure?"

Draco weighed his options. He could decline and ask if they could just sit, and have Beetle and Bug bring them tea and other sweets, this would be what his mother and father expected of them…

Or…

He could do what his father had told him.

"You are to flatter and deceive women to get what you want from them in this world, Draco."

His father wanted him to get into Amelia's good graces, and surely turning her down would be the opposite of that. Besides, her eyes sparkled with mischief...and if he got into her graces through a bit of fun and play, that would be a win for both of them!

"Let's do it!" He responded confidently.

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much.

Draco had been right to tell her who to sit with. "The weasley twins...blood traitors but kind ones. Ginger hair, like yours." He had whispered in her ear before leaving her alone.

Alone...in such a big place. She wrapped a strand of her hair around her finger like Draco had done, looking down at it with a hateful glare.

had been the thing she was most grieved for him to see changed about her. The day he had left, her mother had dyed the ginger hair her father had most adored about her. "A proper Adams doesn't look like a jar of rancid honey!" Her mother had screeched. Now the lighter color had the Weasley twins asking if she was Malfoy's cousin, or possibly a better looking twin.

"Like me, of course." Said George instantly.

"Oh no dear brother, I think you mean me." Replied Fred with the same amount of brevity.

But as the feast ended, she began asking questions of her own.

"I suppose I'll not be joining Draco and his table tonight?"

Fred shook his head, "Not ever I think."

George nodded, "You see, my dear lady, we are Gryffindors…"

"And your dear friend Draco is a slytherin."

"Unfortunately, our groups don't get along well at all…"

"In fact most of the time we're locked in whatever fight there is that week."

She sighed, "So why did the sorting hat put me here? No offense, you two are quite lovely...but Draco and I have known each other for years. It doesn't feel…"

"Right?" Fred suggested.

"Fair?" George proposed.

She smiled, "Both of those fit perfectly...yes. Wait, now where's everyone going?"

The boys stood up with the rest of the room as the cry for first years ended the feast. "Now all the first years are getting a tour…" George looked at Fred, "And we will be your tour guides for the night!"

Amelia looked surpsied, "Oh now that's very kind of you two, but I'm sure you have plenty of things to do besides cart me around...I'll just go hang out with the first years and-"

George placed an arm under her left one, "Why not at all my lady!"

Fred slid his under her right, "We'd be honored!"

The both of them hoisted her to her feet as they exclaimed, "To the owlery!"

Amelia laughed as the twins on either side of her walked her to the door. They slid her right past a face that, if she had seen, would have had her scrambling to return. But she didn't see him.

And suddenly Draco remembered again what it felt to be alone.

* * *

"Amelia?"

The two of them laughed and ran their way over to their house.

"Amelia!"

The harsh tone made them both freeze.

Draco looked down at himself. The dirt of the still under construction part of the garden had been rained on the night before, and the mud had caked his good shoes. The capsule Amelia had shown him was at the bottom of the small hole she had dug, and he'd loved helping her open it and peering through the things inside. They'd placed the rose he brought in it, and a couple toys from America. It was when they'd filled the hole back up he'd gotten really dirty, and so had she.

The blond woman pulled out her wand and performed a scouring spell on the both of them. The majority of the dirt disappeared from his shirt, trousers and shoes, but the stains stayed firmly in place. Draco wondered if this was just so he wouldn't track dirt through their home.

Now he saw his father looking on from the window. His eyes lowered to the floor, and he felt Amelia doing the same thing beside him.

"I think that this visit is about over, correct, Lucius?"

His father's voice was right next to his ear now, and a more than firm grasp held onto his shoulder. "Thank you, Miss Adams...I'm sure some childish foolery wont-"

"Not at all, Lucius, I don't think anything could."

The squeezing sensation overwhelmed him very quickly, as he was pulled out of sight.

The instant they landed, the metal tip of his father's cane sliced a neat cut across his arm. He let out a sharp cry, and felt the end slam into his back, throwing him forward.

He was caught by his mother. His brown eyes looked hopefully back up at her...and then she had left. She exited the room and did not turn back, no matter how many screams of pain her little boy gave off.

He'd done the wrong. Now he would learn from it.

(End of 2)


	3. Twins

_Inspiration: none_

He couldn't wait for today.

It was Draco's 6th birthday, and he'd told his mother that the only thing he'd wanted was to spend it with Amelia in his mansion.

She had yet to visit, as all their adventures had been inside the Adams sitting room. Neither were allowed to visit the garden without a house elf beside them anymore, not since the last excursion.

Now he sat in casual clothes, waiting expectantly at his bedroom window. The seat had grooves in it from the shifting and moving he'd been subjecting it to over the last twenty minutes. She was late, but that was alright...being late wasn't always a bad thing. Maybe her mother was reworking her hair in a new way.

And then there was a pop, and he was running down the stairs and sliding down the banister. He had so much planned for their first time in his manor, every room was full of adventure, and absolutely no…

Crying.

Amelia was crying...she was sobbing into her hands.

Neither his father nor mother had appeared yet, but Miss Adams stood beside her daughter with a cold and uncaring smile on her face. "I am sorry that you'll be receiving my daughter in this state, Mister Malfoy. I'll be off to find your parents in the sitting room."

And they were alone.

Somehow Draco knew how to begin. He took her hand and led her to the kitchen, where the house elves clambered about making his birthday dinner. He sat her down and pulled up the chair next to her.

"What happened?" He asked softly.

She held out her arm. Long red lines had been sliced across her arms in a helter skelter pattern. "Used her wand...I don't know what it was…" She sniffed, "I...I didn't want to wear that stupid dress, with the dumb old heels and the awfully painful hair. I told her we wanted to go on adventures, not stuffy old tea parties."

Dobby had showed up by Draco's ankle with a warm rag and some essence of dittany. He gently took a few drops and rubbed them on her arm.

Amelia smiled at him, "You do it well...are you used to it too?"

She reached her hand and placed it on his arm, where a long white line was still left from his last caning. He didn't pull away, only shrugged. "Just my dad's cane...and it's only when I-"

"I don't think it matters." She cut in, "I think that they shouldn't."

"But...he's my dad...and she's your mum."

She didn't answer him. The two watched her arm heal itself over till all that was left was a thin section of tiny white lines.

"Will you be my friend, Draco Malfoy?" Amelia asked softly, cocking her head to the side.

"I'll be your best friend if you'd like." He replied.

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

Amelia found the rest of her night to be a whirl of locations, and they only managed to finish the highest places before a prefect told them to go to bed. The owlery, the astronomy tower...it was all grand, all beautiful, and all just like Draco had said.

But now she was stood in front of a very large painting. "So...now what?"

Fred motioned towards the door, "Just like we said!"

George grinned, "The words we told you!"

"And I say it...to the wall." She asked

"To the painting." The two of them corrected her.

Amelia stepped forward, waited for a moment...and then said, "Treacle tarts."

The painting swung open, and Amelia found many faces looking at her. The room was quiet. Even Fred and George looked off put.

George got in first and helped her inside, looking around with a scowl at the staring faces. "People these days will do anything to see a bit of new news."

Fred clambered in after the two, "And they aren't rightly sly about it," His voice suddenly got very loud, "Alright you lot, finish your gawking!"

Most of the room resumed into what Amelia presumed was it's usual low chatter. "They're wondering about Draco and I." She said blandly, sitting on a couch in front of the fireplace. The two sat down on either side.

"If we lay it all out on the table…" George started.

"Cards all up and presented…" Fred continued.

"We're wondering the same." The both of them finished.

Amelia laughed, and the two looked proud of that. "Draco and I go...far back. Our families knew each other for centuries before we did, and because both lines are pureblood we're destined to link up at some point...and my mum and his dad are pretty much expecting us to get hooked the moment we turn bloody 17."

The boys nodded for her to continue. "And so we grew up side by side...I don't think there was a moment we were apart besides sleeping. But then...I was sent to Ilvermorny and Draco here."

The finality seemed to let the boys begin their questions. "Why Ilvermorny?" Fred asked quietly, resting his arm on the couch around her shoulder.

"Our family is one of the only pureblood families in America, and so we're expected to go there. It's just...what happens. But my dad was from London so mom wanted us to come for summers."

"Why Hogwarts then?" George asked, his own arm slung around the back, but his arm crooked at the elbow, and his fingers hovered an inch from her shoulder. Amelia felt comfort in the closeness of her two new companions.

"I don't really know why, I wanted to stay back in America until the Dark Lord fell...but Draco says it's for the best."

The boys looked at each other for a moment, but she continued before they could speak. "Now I'm asking the questions for a few moments here. I saw two other gingers at the table nearby, are you lot related?"

The twins grinned.

They talked into the late hours, and would have kept going if Amelia hadn't begun to yawn. And now the question of how to get Amelia into her quarters came up.

"Is it Co-Ed?" She asked.

The boys almost reeled back, "Heavens no!" They said at the same time.

"Is Ilvermorny?" George asked, slightly worried about her response.

Amelia shrugged, "Some say Horned Serpent is, but they don't talk about much. Pretty tight lipped, mostly keep to themselves."

"That sounds like Slytherin, aren't they the ones with the snake on the front? So they're you're Slytherin." Fred said, crossing his ankles in front of himself.

"Actually…"

Now they all looked up.

Amelia wouldn't recognize her, but most others would. Hermione Granger stood with her hands on her hips, "The Horned Serpent favors scholars, so it would be like our Ravenclaw."

George clapped his hands, "And there she is, the girl we've been looking for."

Fred nodded, "Here now, Hermione meet Amelia Adams, the mystery Malfoy girl!"

Amelia looked sheepish, "Ah...hi...it's refreshing to hear someone knows about Ilvermorny, I was worried we were too far off the map for anyone to know us here."

George laughed, "I don't think there's a thing in this world that Hermione Granger doesn't know about."

Amelia looked at Hermione again and smiled, "So you must be...oh which one was it, Ravenclaw?"

The other girl shook her head, "No, people from other houses aren't allowed in our common room, or any other common room but their own."

Amelia looked a little less jovial, "So...I can't visit Draco?"

"You can visit him, just not in his common room!" Fred instantly attempted to cheer her up.

Hermione cocked her head to the side, "Are you and Draco…"

"No, and I think I'll have to say that a lot here." Amy sighed, "But I was wondering if we could finish this tomorrow...I've been traveling all day, and it is quite exhausting to continually use portkeys and such."

The boys looked at each other, "Well...Hermione would love to show you to your room!" Fred exclaimed.

"She would?" Amelia asked skeptically.

"I would!" Hermione said, smiling at Amelia. "Let's get you settled upstairs, and than I'll help you figure out your schedule tomorrow morning…"

The boys watched the two girls start up the stairs before turning to each other.

"She's brilliant, Fred." George said softly.

"I'll say, and beautiful." Fred murmured, leaning back against the couch.

"But Malfoy would kill us."

"Oh certainly...let's not push our luck."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Fred raised an eyebrow and gave a mischievous smile, "I would."

* * *

Draco's huge birthday adventure had changed, but he didn't mind. She'd fallen asleep in the library chair, her ginger hair on display around her shoulders and in front of the side of her face.

"Draco?"

His mother was at the door, and he shut the book and smiled up at her.

"Dear it's nearly 10, her mother requested us to have her back by floo in a few minutes."

He nodded, looking at Amelia with a fond smile. "She loves flowers, she wants to help you with the garden sometime but I told her that the house elves do the garden. Can we help in the garden, mum?"

The woman looked both confused and elated, "Of course...she can come whenever she likes. You two are meant to be together, dear...it's already been settled."

If he had been any older, or even any more awake, he would have detected the meaning behind her words. "She's my best friend, we agreed on that this afternoon."

His mother nodded, "Yes dear. Have her down in a few moments."

And then it was just him and her. Draco and the only friend he had in the world.

"Do you love your mother?" Amelia asked softly, her blue eyes opening and turning to look at him.

Draco was taken aback, "Of course, don't you?"

She didn't answer.


	4. Food

_Inspiration: Believer || Imagine Dragons_

The afternoon sun had started to glow a soft yellow color above their heads.

Amelia had joined Draco at 7 years of age a week ago, and they'd decided to make it a week long birthday. Not that it meant much, only that Draco had an excuse to see his best friend every day until 10 at night. Even after 10 they would share Owls back and forth until they awoke to find it was morning, with one hand falling out of the windowsill and an Owl standing above them.

The ruthless pace they had been pressing themselves now had their bodies begging for rest, and so the two of them obliged by sitting on the porch swing together.

Draco felt a soft weight on his shoulder, and looked over to see a mass of red curls spread about her as Amelia rested against him. Her blue eyes mirrored the gold above their heads, and Draco felt a happiness bloom inside of him.

He knew he was lucky, his parents said it all the time. "Most children her age look snub ugly." His mother had said once at the dinner table, watching the red curls disappear out of sight as Amelia visited the bathroom. "But she's growing into quite the looker...a shame about her hair."

Draco looked up, "What's wrong with her hair? I think it's pretty." He said in a strangely defensive way. His mother and father glanced at him in surprise.

"Watch your tone, Draco." His father warned in a lazy way, continuing to eat his steak without a second glance towards his son.

His mother smiled, "What I mean, Draco, is that Amelia had the unfortunate draw in resembling her father."

Now Draco placed his fork down, "But mum, Amelia doesn't have a father. She told me herself, he doesn't exist."

"Of course he existed once, dear." Mrs. Malfoy cooed, "That is where she got her red hair and blue eyes, you've seen her mother. Blond hair and brown eyes, not a gene of her in her daughter...quite a shame."

A small voice entered the conversation, "I'm glad I don't have blond hair."

Draco saw his mother and father look behind her. "And why is that, Miss Adams?" Asked Lucius in a cold way.

"Well, because then people might think Draco and I are related, and that wouldn't be right...so it keeps from confusion...sir." She said simply, sitting back at her place beside the youngest Malfoy.

Draco's mother smiled, "Quite right, Amelia."

But now they sat on the porch, watching the sunset in a companionable silence.

There weren't many children who had been raised as they did. They still ran around the gardens and played in the strange rooms his father had locked, for Amelia had a knack for making things unlock whenever she pleased. But they also enjoyed each others company by playing a simple game of cards, or reading book after book in the library.

Last wednesday his head had been bursting from a headache, so Amy had read him her favorite muggle book. He acted like he didn't like it, but she knew.

She always knew.

"Amelia? Your mother wants you home for dinner tonight nice and early, so lets-"

Draco surprised himself. "Mom...can I go?"

The house was silent for a moment, before his mother responded. "I want you back by 10!"

Amy sat up and looked at Draco with a worried expression, "I don't think that's a very good idea...dinner time isn't-"

"Nonsense, you've eaten at my table so why not switch it up." Draco put on his best grown-up voice as he said this, standing and offering his hand.

She took it, and neither let go as they walked to the fireplace.

He forgot when that had become a normality for the two of them, to hold hands as they walked. There was a feeling of comfort to have her fingers intertwined with his, a completeness he had never felt before.

"Adams Living room." He stated simply, and he felt the rush of the floo powder suck him in. He exited from a pristine fireplace and looked around the place.

An unease struck him right away.

No lights were on in the dark room, no house elves ran to greet him. The house looked and sounded utterly dismal, as the only sound came from an old gramophone in the corner of the room playing a muggle song he didn't recognize.

The room lit with green for a moment, before Amy stepped in. Instantly she grabbed his wrist, "You should go, it's not a good idea for you to-"

"Ame-e-elia!"

Her mother's voice was cold, sending a shiver through his body. Something wasn't right, it wasn't right at all…

Amy took in a shaky breath, "I'm here mum...I brought Draco!" Then she turned to him, whispering harshly, "You can't say anything bad about anything, she's in one of her moods...and don't try to protect me or anything if she gets mad!"

"Amelia...the food is getting cold."

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

She'd awoken at 5 and found that the castle didn't really wake up that early. For the first twenty minutes she sat in bed, before hearing padded footsteps going down the stairs.

Amelia entered the main common area to see a first year, one who seemed to have the same 'early morning' issue she was having.

"Lovely morning…"

The first year froze, waiting for her to enter the room completely before bolting back up the stairs.

"Well then…"

Her morning was spent planning her classes and writing a letter to Draco. It was second nature to write a letter every morning to him.

 _Dearest Laurie;_

 _I hope you didn't mind that the Weasley twins stole me away last night. I believe it was beneficial, as they showed me a few classrooms and around my common room. It's strange here...you were right about that._

 _I've written a list of my classes each day of the week. I missed you tonight, and I hope we'll have more opportunities to see each other during the days to come._

 _A girl helped me to my room tonight, Hermione Granger. Does it ring a bell?_

 _Forever yours;_

 _Jo_

The names Jo and Laurie came from one of the only Muggle books Draco had agreed to read, Little women. Draco had insisted on code names the moment they began writing letters, and she had gone along with his skeptically suspicious ways.

"Up early?"

She turned and smiled at the new face that greeted her. The boy had black hair and round glasses...she knew him instantly.

"I tend to get an early start on the morning...although it seems most of the castle doesn't agree with that statement."

Harry Potter sat down in a chair to her right, "I usually don't either...things keep me awake sometimes."

She nodded, "I understand. Harry Potter, I assume?"

The boy smiled, holding out a hand. She shook it kindly. "You know my name, what's yours?"

"Amelia Adams, Amy is fine. Mind if I ask you some questions?" He wilted slightly, and she quickly said, "About classes...locations and such?"

Harry smiled again, "Sorry...I'm so used to first years badgering me with questions."

Amy picked up her schedule and handed it to him, "I see I have transfiguration in the morning...and then Potions and Muggle Studies."

The two of them went through her classes, nearly all of them which she shared with him. They were the same year, and found similar interests within each other. Their lack of knowledge about Hogwarts was one of them, and their history with quidditch was another.

Eventually people began to filter their way downstairs and out the door. A small group stopped by the couch, consisting of Hermione, Ron and Ginny. "We're off to breakfast, do you want to join us?" Hermione asked kindly.

Amelia looked around for signs of Fred and George, but not finding them she agreed. "Might as well...I doubt I'll be able to find my way there without help anyways, the twins took me on a maze run before we came here."

"Did they show you any of your classes?" Ron asked, "I hope we get some together."

"We're in the same year as her, Ron." Hermione replied in an exasperated tone, "There's a very high chance we'll be in all the classes with her!"

Ron's jaw dropped, "You're the same age as us? But you look so...so…" He stopped speaking as Hermione cut in.

"Older, you do look a lot older than us."

Amelia laughed, but this one echoed through her. She needed to look older, it was the way she had been raised...but it didn't make her feel any older.

Just more resigned to the hand she had been dealt.

* * *

Dinner had been painfully silent.

Amelia was the first to stand from the table, and Draco found her mother's eyes boring into him as Amy cleared the plates. Why the house elves weren't doing the tasks was a question he only had a moment to ask himself. A crash beside his head, and he was on his feet by his best friend's side.

The glass was all over the floor and she shook as she picked up the shards with her bare hands. He grabbed her arm and pulled it back, "Careful! You could get cut."

"Let her be, Malfoy. I'm teaching her to be a good housewife for you." The mother's words confused him.

"This is what the house elves are for!" He found himself shooting back, holding her bleeding hand and grabbing a napkin to apply pressure.

It was very sudden, the searing pain that sprang across the back of his hand. He yelped and nearly let go of Amelia. Her mother's voice was shrill and odd, it didn't sound right, it wasn't connected to the woman in the human way.

"She has less worth to me than any house elf, disgusting girl-"

Amelia's voice was quiet and pleading, "Please mom, I'll clean it myself it's alright!"

But the mother had already started and she didn't intend to stop. "You and your father, the filthy blood traitor! Sleeping with _muggles_ behind my back, well I showed him didn't it, and now all he's managed to leave me is a worthless look alike brat and a failing estate. Recon I'll sell you before I sell anymore of the bleeding furniture, you maggot infested little-"

She had stood to her feet, wand raised. Draco watched in horror as an unspoken curse sailed through the air and landed on Amelia. The small thing writhed and screamed, falling to the ground as the spell that Draco would one day learn well took over her body.

Crucio was a bitter, bitter curse.

He found himself running. Running away from Amelia, from the screams and the giddy laughter of her insane mother. He fell once, scrambling to his feet as he bolted for the fireplace.

"Coward!" Mrs Adams screeched, "Disgusting coward!"

Draco felt the floo system begin to work. One instant before, he could see sparkling brown eyes burning into his at the doorway, a wand lit to expose the pure madness on Mrs Adams face.


	5. Potions

_Inspiration: Lemon Boy || cavetown_

Draco hadn't talked to anyone all day.

His mother was out on a trip with her friends, his father was working in the Ministry. He had ordered the house elves to leave him be with a swish of his hand, and now sat with his elbows on his knees in front of the fireplace.

Maybe if he stared hard enough it would turn to green, and his best friend would arrive laughing, telling him the night before had been a joke. Telling him that she hadn't received any of the 13 owl letters he had sent over the 17 hours they had been separated. Telling him that she had been pretending to scream in pain.

He knew none of it was true.

The 7 year old was slowly starting to piece together the story of Amelia's family. An unfaithful father, an unwanted daughter, and a slowly dying family fortune were three of the biggest pieces that he had needed to finish the story.

Amy had told him that when she was born, her hair shocked her recently widowed mother. The woman had tried to change the color, to dye it...but within two weeks the spells she had labored over had dissipated. Maybe that was when her mother had seen the stubbornness within her barely born daughter.

Maybe it was when Amy began showing magic at barely a years age. Her mother had told her of levitating toys that would spin and dance together in the most elegant ways, of her crib suddenly dropping all of it's defenses to the child could manage to crawl or fall out of it. Eventually Beetle had been assigned to watch the baby and keep it safe.

Her father had been a powerful auror killed by the Dark Lord, known for his singular rare ability.

The ability to use magic without a wand.

Amy's mother was also known for her proficiency for unspoken magic. Many times Draco had watched as previously locked doors had opened at a narrowed-eyed glance from his friend, or watched as vases and other objects they had broken returned to their proper state before any of the House elves could come running. He'd watched her plot flowers beside her with no hands while using both to plot another, and once watched a line of dirt across his trousers disappear without a trace.

But apparently this magic didn't keep the hatred from Mrs Adams mind whenever the bright hair came into view.

The fireplace turned green.

Draco leapt to his feet, nearly falling forward as Amelia stood in front of him with a solemn expression on her face.

They stood silent for a moment, blue eyes staring at brown, an unspoken agreement beginning between them. They shouldn't speak of it, they should forget it happened…

But Draco didn't want to forget.

Was he sure? Did he want to know? Her eyes asked the question as much as her newly scarred arm, and his answered with a solem yes.

And then she was running forward, crashing into his arms, and they were both crying and mumbling apologies to each other. His hand found a lock of her hair and encircled it around his finger, and she pulled a mere inch from his face and looked at him carefully.

He was okay.

 _She_ was okay.

Everything was going to be alright.

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

Amelia didn't see Draco Malfoy until potions that afternoon, as he had seemingly missed her at both breakfast at lunch.

That hadn't been the case. He had watched her laugh and eat with the golden children at the Gryffindor table with a scowl. This was his fault, he had told her to go to the Weasley twins. He knew they would treat her well, be kind to her.

But this? This felt like a disrespect.

It didn't help that Ronald's eyes seemed to be having difficulty staying on his food, a miracle but an unwelcome one.

"Mister Malfoy…"

The droning voice of his professor brought him from his dreams. "Yea?" He cut back, instantly regretting it.

"Watch your tone, young man. What is the first ingredient to a Pepperup potion?"

He felt her eyes on him. Those blue eyes.

She always made him do something unexpected, even to himself.

"I'd probably say Pepper, sir."

The joke seemed to have flown past everyone's heads for a moment, before a few snickers and laughs broke out. Most full of wonder, for Draco never made jokes in class...at least none that weren't at the expense of other students.

Snake stared down at him for what felt like hours, before saying, "5 points from Slytherin." And walking from the desk.

It was the best 5 points he had ever lost.

He turned in his seat to watch Snape continue to walk. He caught her eye.

Draco knew what she wanted. He had seen her letter and knew they shared a free period in an hour.

 _She's a Gryffindor, Draco._

He felt his mind begin to re-stir the thoughts from before.

 _If either of your families found out it could be chaos._

 _But we're expected to fall in love...what's so bad about it? And who says they have to know?_

 _They'll know once she comes home with the wrong robes, the wrong scarves. They'll know if she opens her mouth for five seconds and says who her new best friends are-_

That cut him deep.

He had to see her.

Potions couldn't be over fast enough, and Draco found himself pushing past students as quickly as possible. The damn Weasley twins had been waiting for her, and she was already deep in a laughing conversation with them a few feet from the door.

All three looked up as he marched forward.

 _Keep your face blank, Draco. Show a bit of annoyance, but not too much. Don't let them know, don't let them understand...not even for a moment._

"What do you want then, Malfoy?" The boy on the left asked. There was barely a hint of joking in his voice. Amelia began to look confused.

"None of your business, Weasley. Now if you two idiots will excuse us…" He spat out. His hand shot out for Amelia's hand.

He was appalled when both boys stepped in front of her.

The one on the left spoke again, "And what in Merlin's name-"

The one on the right chimed in, "Would a Slytherin like you-"

"Be wanting with a Gryffindor like Amy." The left finished with a smirk.

It was Amelia who spoke. "Will you two bobbleheads move aside? I'm not some bloody damsel, and I sure as hell don't need protection from my best friend!"

Draco smirked as she spoke, but felt his joy drain away at her next words. "And you, what the hell has gotten into you? You've stormed over here in a rage, you've insulted my friends and you've made quite a character of yourself."

A few more pairs of eyes had begun to watch them. Draco saw Blaise and Pansy a few feet away, watching him with cool, certain eyes. They expected him to belittle, to undermine...but all he wanted to do was apologize.

He couldn't, not here, not in front of them.

His hand grabbed her wrist. Draco felt relieved when she didn't fight him, only stumbled forward with a confused expression.

Draco stalked down deeper into the dungeons as fast as he could, the outraged voices of the twins echoing around the room. Blaise must be stopping them from following, good man. He always seemed to know what to do.

"Let-let go of me!"

He lost his grip and stumbled forward, realizing now just how tightly he had been gripping Amelia's wrist. "Shit...I'm sorry I didn't mean-"

"What the hell just happened back there? What's gotten into you?" She'd taken a step back and was staring at him, emotions swirling through her eyes that he hated seeing.

Draco walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder, and their eyes met. For a moment a gut wrenching need to hold her close to him...but he knew that's not what she needed. She needed answers, and she needed them soon and from him.

"Gryffindors and Slytherins hate each other. It's been that way since the start, Amy. It's unseemly for me to be seen-"

She pushed his hand away, "I'm not a Gryffindor, I'm Amelia Adams! Back home weren't we the ones who always fought against those stipulations? Freedom for our house elves-"

"We were 8." Grumbled Draco.

"Equality for everyone with blood in their veins-"

"We were young!" His voice was raised and angry, it echoed across the room and he just _knew_ that other people were listening now. "We were young and naive. We thought the world could be fair to people, to us...but we're older. We're smarter, and we know-"

"Do we, Draco?" She stepped towards him and cupped his cheek, "Have I been gone so long that you forget everything we believed?"

Draco leaned into her touch and wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger, "5 years...a lot changes in 5 years."

Her head leaned against his chest, and he let out a sigh of happiness. "I missed you." Amelia's voice was muffled against him, he knew how she was feeling.

He felt the same.

"I missed you too."

* * *

The two of them hadn't left the library for hours. They sat on the couch together, her head in his lap as Draco read aloud to her. The dittany had cleared up any record of the night before on their bodies, but he was sure she hadn't shown him the extent of her injuries. She winced when she stepped on her left leg, and although her shorts were to her knees he couldn't see what caused the pain.

He couldn't believe he was reading a muggle book to her. It was the only one that she read, but she read it all the time...and the worst part was, he was beginning to like it too. Especially the character Jo.

"You're a lot like her." Draco mentioned at the end of the chapter, "Jo, I mean."

"You're a lot like Lori." Amelia replied. "It seems fitting I mean...the boy from a rich family who doesn't feel right about what they want from him."

"A girl who refuses to play the part society has placed upon her." He said softly, closing the book and placing it to the side.

Amy sat up and turned so she was facing him, "You know what they want from us, right?"

Draco nodded, "Pureblood relations."

She shook her head, "No, they want us to marry."

The words sounded strange to him, "But that's what I said-"

"Nuh-uh...well yeah, but it's different. It's us, Draco...getting married when we're older against our will."

He refused to let the words phase him, "I don't care, you're my best friend, we'll be fine-"

"Kids, Draco. They'll want kids. Carry on the family line."

Now he saw the issue. "Well that's not okay."

She nodded, "Now you see?"

"What are we going to do about it though? It's not like we can run away, and we certainly can't change their minds."

Amelia sat pensively for a moment before sitting up straight, "We'll just be Lori and Jo then...take our time, and fight for what we believe in."

Draco thought for a moment before nodding, "Lori and Jo."


	6. Change

\"I don't want to go."

Draco groaned, "Amelia you can't stay here…"

"The schools are awful! The kids hate me, they despise me-"

He looked up at the roof she had managed to get on top of. It wasn't far from the ground, the shed was only meant for keeping things in, not living in. Still, Draco wondered how he was going to catch her if she decided to come down.

"I don't hate you, but you'll be getting me in trouble if you don't come down!" He called up, running a hand through his blond hair in exasperation, "Look, can we just talk about this sitting down like normal people?" A roof shingle bopped him in the head.

"You're incorrigible, Amelia Adams!"

"I'm incorrigible?" She let out a rueful laugh, "Well you, Draco Malfoy, are a prat!"

"A prat!" Now he was getting mad, "Well...well you're a git!"

"You're an asshole!"

"Tosser!"

"Jackass!"

"Slag!" He clapped a hand over his mouth.

This shingle slammed him in the shoulder hard enough to make him stagger. "Draco Malfoy!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." The boy apologized quickly, sheltering his head just in case.

Amy was silent for a few moments before she responded. "I'm sorry too. I don't want to go back to America, Draco."

He sighed, sitting on the grass and looking up at the roof. Her back was turned to him, her hair a mess and her jacket sprinkled with grass and mud stains. "I don't want you to go either...but you'll be back for holidays! And soon we'll be going to Hogwarts together, and we won't be apart again."

There was a pause, he could feel her thinking hard.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She turned towards him, "And you'll write me every day?"

"Every day."

Her legs slung over the edge of the roof, "And I'll be your only best friend?"

That caught him off guard, "What do you mean?"

She crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip, "I mean you have to promise. You won't go off and get a new best friend, and forget all about me when I'm in elementary school?"

He suddenly stood up, and anger in him resurfacing. "Amelia, you think for one moment I'd be able to find anyone as...as bloody incredible as you?"

Amy uncrossed her arms and swung her legs for a moment, before hopping off the roof. Draco yelped, running forward...but it was as if an unseen source slowed her fall.

"You didn't promise." She whispered, not meeting his eyes as he walked over to her.

He took her hand and began leading her back to the house, "I promise."

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

Hogwarts was simply buzzing.

Amelia and Draco were the fresh news of the month. A Slytherin and Gryffindor, best friends since forever.

Most people thought they were dating. Draco found it difficult to hold his tongue.

"Let them shoot off whatever they like, in the end it doesn't matter."

It didn't help how they broke the unspoken walls between the two houses. They would take their food to the garden, rather than choose a table to sit at. Amelia made friends within all houses, and slowly introduced them to Draco, although he never gave them more than a rough greeting.

But it was the retaliation of Slytherin that started to worry Draco.

The first was simple, jeering calls in the corridors calling the two 'house traitors' and 'a shame to their houses' and such and so forth. Those were the easiest to ignore.

But Amelia started to see people draw away from her. Gryffindors she didn't know would shy away from her in the common rooms, or find an excuse to go anywhere else then where she was

It was Wednesday when things changed.

They sat by the lake, laughing and taking. Amelia had her elbows resting on her knees, her hair falling around her shoulders. The sun reflected off of it in a sunset fashion, and Draco watched her face with a happiness that nobody would believe unless they saw it for themselves.

"Abigail didn't really like me hexing her cat...so she went to one of our teachers and next thing I know I'm serving detention for six weeks."

He laughed, "For a bloody cat?"

She nodded, "But it was okay. I-"

"Still hanging around with _her_ , Draco?" Theodore Nott's voice called. The two friends stood and turned to him, "Have some dignity, won't you?"

"Don't speak to me about dignity, Nott." Draco growled, his fingers itching to pull his wand from his robes. Amelia gently placed a hand on his wrist, "Have you no pride of your own? Stalking about spreading lies."

"They aren't lies!" Theodore growled, "You're a traitor."

Now Draco's wand was drawn, "You're hanging by a thread, Theo...don't do anything stupid."

"Put it down Draco, he isn't worth it." Amelia whispered.

"Yea, listen to your girlfriend _Draco_." Pansy Parkinson's voice whined out, walking up to stand beside Theo.

Draco felt anger boiling in him, he raised his wand, "Everte Sta-"

Both of his quarry had disappeared."

Draco turned for a moment, eyes wide...to see Amelia's hand outstretched.

Pansy and Theodore were hanging, suspended in mid air. Frozen in place, the two were levitating off the ground and towards the lake.

"Can they swim?" Amelia's strangely calm voice snapped him from his reverie. He nodded. "Good."

With a splash, the two slytherins dropped into the lake about five feet from the shore. The second they hit the surface they came to life again, splashing and spluttering.

Draco felt Amelia's hand grab his own, and pull him from the lake.

"Wandless magic?" He asked softly.

"I did a bit of light reading on it." Was her reply.

Draco sighed, "They'll spread the word…"

She shook her head, "The last thing they saw was you lifting your wand…I'm sure they'll think you did it. I'm safe."

But he knew he wasn't.

That afternoon he sat in the Slytherin common room speaking to the only Slytherin who would still believe him.

"I'm telling you Blaize, if The Dark Lord ever needs a way to know what Potter is up to I'll have her as my pawn."

The boy raised an eyebrow, "And that's all she is to you then? A useful pawn?"

"Of course!" Draco emphasized, "She's a Gryffindor, and despite being a Pureblood her father leaves her with the lines of a blood traitor."

The rest of the Slytherins soon began to encourage in house relation singularly for Draco...but for Amelia, they fought to make it worse.

But she refused to be affected, laughing in their faces at their attempts at insults. "In Ilvermorny we held ourselves to a standard, knowing all men were created equal...I guess in Hogwarts that isn't true."

She wasn't alone completely, and Draco certainly wasn't her only friend. The Weasley twins were never far from her, and the moment Draco stood the two boys sat, taking his place without a second thought.

Amelia was never alone, but it didn't ease Draco's mind to know that.

In face the people she devoted her time to, minus himself, drove him mad.

* * *

"I'll be fine."

"I know that."

"Then stop squeezing me."

Draco stepped back, a sheepish look on his face. "You'll write everyday?"

"I thought I was the only who was worried about that." Amelia snarked back.

He grinned, taking in a deep breath.

She left in 20 minutes, 20 from now he wouldn't be hugging his best friend.

Draco tried to memorize her face, her hair was pulled back in a messy bun Draco had done himself. She wore a pair of slim overalls with a white shirt underneath, smiling with sparkling blue eyes that betrayed her facade of bravery. She was just as scared as he was.

"I'll be here when you return." He said softly.

She hugged him once more.

They stood in silence, reminiscing over the past year. The glass vase portkey vibrated softly, and they turned and watched it hum.

"If anyone's mean to you…" Draco muttered.

Amelia sighed, "I'll kick their ass. And then tell you about all the heroic ways I told them to stuff it."

Quiet once more.

"We're 7...you shouldn't be leaving, you're too little." Draco said softly.

Amelia took his hand and squeezed it, "It's just what people do. I was lucky to escape it last year, but tutoring isn't working. America's schools aren't that dreadful anyways, the food is the worst part."

He laughed as she made a funny face.

The fireplace bloomed with green flames, and Mrs Adams stood stoically with a bag in each hand. Her face softened at the sight of Draco and Amelia, hand in hand. "I know this must be difficult for you two...but Amelia will be back next summer, and then the two of you will be 8! How exciting."

Neither child responded to her attempts. Both knew how dark she was, how far down her mind had spiraled. Ever since that night Draco had kept Amelia with him nearly every day as long as possible, and wrote to her every night.

It wasn't just for companionship, not anymore. There was a bond that both felt, both understood. Sometimes Draco would feel a sharp pain when nothing had touched him, and whenever he next saw Amelia she often had a new bruise or mark in the same spot. In the same way, Amy found her shoulders and upper arms were often suddenly barraged with new scars she had never been given.

The magic between them was intertwining, growing closer and becoming one.

In front of them the portkey began to hum louder, and Amelia hugged Drago one last time.

He clasped her close, feeling her kindness and love.

And then she was grabbing the portkey.

In one horrifying instant a tearing sensation ripped through his soul, he choked and gasped as Amelia disappeared. The distance was great…too great for their bond to be this strong.

The magic within the two children stretched and tore in many places.

But it wouldn't leave them. Not completely.

It was too late for freedom.


	7. Return

He was sweating in the middle of winter.

Running had become a new habit for Draco, once every morning and once after dinner every day. His mother had been delighted at his new past time, even offered him fencing lessons to top off his physique.

The more he ran the less he focused on the reason he ran. Father was angrier than he'd ever seen his father on a Christmas, and Draco found himself the receiver of the anger.

That was the only reason.

He forced himself to believe that was the only reason.

But it wasn't the only reason. If anything it was only a small part of it.

Amelia's letters has ceased two weeks ago, abruptly and painfully so. That night he had felt an angry pain across his hand, and the next day swelling began to engulf it. He'd written feverishly to her again and again, never once breaking the oath that they would write _every_ day.

If she couldn't, he would.

His dreams were strange, warped voices and a bitter cold. At times he swore he heard Amelia's voice, saw locks of her flaming hair brush past his vision. When he wasn't experiencing these he was in the middle of a nightmare. Sometimes a maze, sometimes a desert, sometimes the center of a city filled with faceless men. All the time he was looking for something, and the glimpses of her dress and hair disappearing around the bend out of his sight showed him who he was seeking.

But now he found himself stopped at the end of the street, panting for breath with his hands on his knees. His white blond hair fell in front of his eyes, his shirt was soaked through with sweat.

A crack made him jump, as a small wrinkled figure appeared beside him.

"Damn you Dobby, I told you no one is to disturb me during my runs!" He snapped.

The house elf cringed away, "Dobby is sorry, Young Master Malfoy, Dobby has been instructed by Mistress Malfoy to bring you home at once!"

Draco straightened up, "Why? Is she unwell?"

"Mistress Malfoy say that he must be back to bathe and change for the December Eve party, Young Master. Dobby must bring the Young Master home at once!" The small elf cried.

With a groan Draco ran a hand across his forehead, clearing his forehead from the beads of sweat that clung to it, "Very well. But I'll be running back, tell my mother to expect me back in a half hour."

Dobby bowed low, before popping back out of view.

Now Draco turned and started to jog back the way he came, hoping to prolong his absence from the party for as long as possible.

Naturally mother would dress him in the finest suit that Madam Malkins could supply. Naturally she would showcase him to the world, telling her guests of all his accomplishments large and small.

Naturally she would forbid him from eating the food and drinking any drink.

"I will not have my child fattening himself on food that isn't for him." Her shrill voice echoed in his mind.

He would starve all night, and if even one thing displeased his mother he wouldn't eat until tomorrow. Unless, that is, he could persuade Dobby to bring him some.

He would do it, he would. If it made his mother happy and kept Amelia from his mind he would starve and scrape and bow his way through the night.

But _Merlín_ he missed her.

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

They were waiting in the hallway, patient as possible. Fred's constant snickering kept breaking their cover, they'd have to start all over again. A new spot to play the wondrous trick they'd been needing to try out for weeks.

"Now here comes someone…" George's voice came through the extendable ears, and Fred clapped a hand over his mouth as his brother jogged back to hide. "Don't you dare." The twin warned the other.

Footsteps.

And together they released the rope, and strung the spell.

One loud female shriek hit their ears, and the two burst with laughter, turning to see who it was.

A paint splattered Amelia stood, surrounded by magic paint cans. Her blond hair was blue and pink, her robes green and yellow.

The twins stood with a look of horror on their faces, as Amelia's blue eyes turned upwards to look at them.

And then she burst out laughing.

In a wave of relief the Weasley's joined her, three children laughing in a paint splattered hallway.

"I'll admit, I thought you were about to have a go at us." George admitted, wiping his eyes from the giggle tears.

Fred nodded, "Or burst into tears, now that would have been worse."

Amelia shook her head, "I'd like to think that I've retained some of my sense of humor...now how exactly will I get these robes cleaned in time for Divination?" She asked, placing her green hands on her yellow hips.

Both boys lifted their wands, performing the cleaning spell their mother had herself finessed after repeated uses. "Now than, who says you need to go to stupid old Divination?" Fred asked in a sly voice, waving his wand in the air. The pain cans sucked the remainder of the splatters back into their mouths, before disappearing into thin air.

Amelia shook her head, "Oh no you two don't, I draw the line at playing hookie." She picked up her bag and started towards the end of the hall.

George smoothly slid into stride beside her, placing an arm over her shoulder, "We would never…"

Fred joined her right side, sliding his arm around her waist, "That is to say we'd never say it…"

"So bluntly." George finished, "I'd much rather call it a...change of the wind."

"A call to something else."

"A stride towards greatness."

Now Amelia stopped, and slid out from the boys arms. "Listen, you two are adorable and quite persuasive, but I really can't miss a class."

What confused the boys most was the hint of begging in her voice, the bit of panic. "Are you...afraid of something, Amy?" Fred asked softly, stepping forward and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Because if you are, you can tell us.."

George came to her side, resting a hand on her other arm. "We might be nothing but jokers and prankers, but you're our friend…"

"And Weasley's are a very loyal sort." Fred added.

"You can trust us."

She looked up into their brown eyes, and for a moment she opened her mouth. But the color…

The color of her mother's eyes.

Amelia slid out of the two boys' grip. "I should get going. I'll see you tonight."

Fred and George watched her go with a worried expression shared on their faces.

"She's scared of something...and it isn't here." George muttered, beginning to walk with his twin back to the common room.

"If it was here we would have seen it by now, she doesn't let anything here affect her." Fred said quietly, leaning his head close to his brothers'.

"Draco will know. He knows everything about her, I'm sure of it."

Fred stopped, raising an eyebrow, "Was that spite I heard, brother?"

George grimaced, "I certainly hope not, brother. If it is, than we're falling for Amelia Adams."

"You say we as if I have feelings for her." Fred said in an aloof tone, looking out the window over the grounds.

Now George grinned, "I know what you're feeling brother...and I dare say we've fallen into a trap of our own."

"Should we find the counter curse?" Fred asked in a cheeky way.

George shook his head, "I wouldn't undo this for the world."

* * *

The party was just as dull as Draco had feared. He hadn't eaten a bite all night, and his stomach was rumbling louder and louder as time mother was in the middle of talking once again on how he had acted as a baby, and crooning over how 'quickly they grew'.

And then something good happened.

An Owl flew in through the window.

Draco instinctively held out his arm, and it fluttered to him with a hoot of greeting. It was Beth, the owl he had devoted to Amelia and his correspondence during her absence...and she was not empty.

The envelope was a soft blue color with a green seal, the letter A printed in the dried wax.

He stared at it in hope and awe, scared to take it lest it disappeared before his eyes.

"Draco, dear...who is it from?" His mother asked expectantly.

Gently he took the letter between his thumb and forefinger, and the Owl fluttered back outside. It would wait outside his window for his response…

A response. He got a letter, a letter from Amelia.

This revelation changed everything. A moment later, Draco was sprinting away up the stairs, ignoring his mother's exclamation of confusion. He turned and twisted corners, clutching the letter in his hand. Where could he go, where was safe enough to open it.

He decided on his old nursery, and shut the door behind him with a snap, bolting it for good measure.

The hooded light cast just enough of a soft glow for him to read by. He sat in the rocking chair facing the balcony, and held the letter in front of him.

And then he opened it.

 _Dearest Laurie;_

 _I must beg your forgiveness, the old hags who run this school didn't like owls coming to my window._

 _How I've missed you, Laurie. The people here aren't kind nor loving, although we never expected it to be so...but I do have news for you._

 _On the 22nd, a man here in Arkansas went on a murderous rage, simply horrible. Because of how close it was to us, the school was ordered to evacuate._

 _When you are receiving this, I am on my way home, Laurie. I'm taking a portkey back until school starts again._

 _Come see me, I'll be in my garden._

 _Forever yours_

 _Jo_

Draco read the letter through once again.

Then, Draco ran to her.


	8. Wandless

_Hello Readers!_

 _College is beginning to take over my poor life, so I'll be changing my upload times to once every 1-3 days. I guarantee you at least 1 chapter per week no matter what happens, so don't worry, if I don't make my usual upload times you'll at least get that._

 _I will soon be giving you all a chance to **choose a part of the story**!_

A poll will be placed in my profile, you'll be given the opportunity to choose where Amy goes for her summer holiday. There will be two choices, one will influence her relationship with the twins, the other with Draco.

 _To enter the poll, I ask you guys to simply leave a review here, and check out another one of my stories!_

 _Alright, back to the story. Love you all! Keep Reviewing!_

* * *

The fireplace couldn't sweep him into her home fast enough, and the halls seemed longer than ever as he ran down them. He nearly crashed into the garden door, sliding to a halt just before walking out.

He took a moment to compose himself, and stepped through the glass door.

The moment he did so, he felt a part of himself click back into place.

Amelia sat in the same place he had first seen her within this house, back when they were 6 and an invitation to tea meant the world.

She had a grey dress on, her hair was pulled back into a simple bun. It didn't become her at all. She was thinner, paler. The moonlight showed exhaustion beneath the blue eyes that looked out at the sky.

And then he saw how she pulled the pins from her hair, how she scrunched up her nose when she felt a pull, how she sighed when she was free of the last one and her hair tumbled down around her shoulders.

Her head turned, and she saw him.

Part of him had expected them to up and run to each other, to crash together and cry tears of 'I missed you'. But it was quite a soft meeting.

She stood, and he walked to her. They hugged for a moment, then they sat together and watched the stars. His stomach growled.

"The New Years party?" Amelia asked softly, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I haven't eaten a morsel all night."

Amy raised an eyebrow, "Shall we fix that?"

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

Umbridge hadn't bothered Draco or Amelia until their fifth lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Her presence at the feast had barely made an impact on their reunion, and the rising tide of her reign went unnoticed until that fifth lesson.

"Miss Adams."

Draco was pulled out of his book at these words. The twins across the room also looked up, sharing concerned glances between each other.

Amelia looked up, "Yes Professor?"

The pink lady stood in front of Amy with a simpering smile, "What is in your right hand?"

The girl lifted it, "My wand, Professor."

"Wands are put away at the start of this class, miss Adams."

Amy smiled kindly, "I apologize ma'am, on page 6 there was a spell I couldn't quite visualize. It won't happen-"

"I will take your wand for the remainder of the class, Miss Adams."

She looked at Umbridge's frog like hand with surprise, "Oh...um, alright then…" Amy handed her wand over, and everything was fine for the rest of the class.

It was the end of it that turned things upside down.

Amy stood with the twins, before waving Draco over. "Can you three wait for me outside? I've got to get my-"

"Miss Adams."

Amy turned, "Oh, Yes Professor, I need my wand back." She walked to the front of the classroom, holding out her hand expectantly.

"Actually, Miss Adams, I am currently holding your wand back for inspection."

Draco felt an urge to rush the desk, as Amelia's voice now sounded pinched and panicked. "Hold...my wand back?"

The ugly woman nodded, "Yes, you see, the ministry recently recived a tip that you used a curse on two Slytherin students with unregistered magical forms."

A wash of cold understanding washed over Draco.

"Unregistered magic?" Amy repeated.

"Yes, Miss Adams." Now Umbridge sounded annoyed, "Unregistered magic, namely _wandless_ magic. A kind of magic that you would need to inform the ministry about, should one be able to use it."

Amelia's voice shook slightly, "But Professor Umbridge, how exactly am I supposed to use magic without my wand...I have transfiguration in an hour!"

The old woman's eyes sparkled with menace, "You will have to get your wand back without magic. I am placing it in this locked drawer. This is a test, you see."

A sudden crash came from behind Draco. All heads turned to see Fred picking up a desk that had been turned on it's head, "Sorry Professor...but I think I broke something inside of it!"

Draco watched as Umbridge walked quickly to where Fred was standing...and saw George sprint up to the desk. "Alohamora."

Amelia smiled, taking the wand and stuffing it back into her robes. "Thanks Professor, I hope your test goes well." She rushed out, speed walking towards the door.

Amy took his arm, George took Fred's...and they disappeared out of sight.

The four of them came, laughing and recollecting the last few minutes, to the courtyard. They splayed out on the grass, drinking in the last few rays of warmth the sun offered.

"So...wandless magic?" Fred finally said, leaning forward to the other three.

Draco took Amelia's hand, "I don't think-"

"It's fine, Draco." She said softly, patting his arm. "I trust them...I really do trust them."

The twins grinned at each other, before George also leaned in, completing the close circle the four had made.

Now Amelia began.

"My parents were supposed to be the most powerful pureblood line every founded, breaching the line between the American Pure Bloods and the British ones. My mom was fluent in non-verbal magic, and occlumancy. My father had been gifted with the art of wandless magic."

Fred whistled a lot note, "Never heard of that one before."

"It's extremely rare." Draco muttered, "Some say even the Dark Lord himself can't master it."

Amy nodded, "It's like being a metamorphmagus, you have to be born with it. Well, when I showed my magical abilities I didn't seem to be able to do either of those, but then Draco reminded me of something."

All eyes on Draco now, "When we were young, Amy had the ability to unlock everything. Didn't matter how much magic was embedded in it, didn't matter how many deadbolts father placed on it, Amy would find a way to open it. So that's when I realized she might be going around using that magic the wrong way."

He surprised himself with how excited he was to be talking about Amy's abilities.

Fred interjected in, "So what can you do?"

She shrugged, "Well all the spells they teach at hogwarts, but I can also do some weird smoke stuff."

The twins spoke together, "Like what?"

Draco snorted, "Well we can't do it here, who knows who might be watching."

"Tell you two what, join us for dinner tonight at the lakeside!" Amy exclaimed, "It'd be nice to have some company besides _Draco_." She play-punched his arm, but she missed the hurt look on his face.

The twins grinned, "Sounds perfect."

"I have to go, transfiguration waits for no witch." Amy said simply, "Come on Draco."

The four parted into two.

"You invited them to dinner?" Draco finally asked, managing to keep the pain out of his voice.

Amelia nodded, "It's the safest time."

He held back an explosion of annoyance, "But that's...our spot, Amy."

She turned to him with a confused look, "It's just one dinner, Draco. You can share just this once, can't you?"

The joke fell short. Draco knew it wouldn't be 'just this once', even though Amelia continued to insist it all through the rest of the day.

Just this once would surely evolve into 'only once in a while'. That in turn would change them being alone to 'once in a while'. Then it wouldn't be theirs anymore, it would be the Weasley's time.

He wasn't used to being overridden.

He _wouldn't_ be second best.

* * *

"When did you learn to cook?" Draco asked, eyes wide at the near perfect bacon and eggs Amy had slid under his nose.

She huffed, "St. Mary's all girls school just _loved_ to teach us how to be good housewives. It was like they wanted nothing more then to drill in our heads that we shouldn't do anything but cook and clean and make babies. Horrible place."

He didn't question anything more until he'd taken a few heavenly bites of food.

She stood up and left the table for a few moments, leaving him to eat while she changed out of her school clothes. She returned in soft sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt, looking comfortable and back to normal.

"Tell me about St. Mary's." He said simply.

The stories he heard next made him cringe.

No pants, no loud music, no dresses above the middle of ones calf, long lessons and short respites, silence devoted weekends where none were allowed to speak unless absolutely necessary.

"I made the mistake of refusing to change into my dress when it was really cold. The teacher slapped me across my hand with a ruler. I felt like I was back in time, like really? A ruler?"

He didn't think when he said, "I felt it too."

They stopped.

Neither of them had talked about what they had previously experienced, the pains and aches that stemmed from the other.

"So you've felt it too...what I've been experiencing?" Amy asked in a small voice, sitting beside him and whispering as quietly as possible.

He nodded, "I did some research. It's called a Magic Bond."

"Is it...normal?"

Draco shook his head, "Extremely rare...you seem to be someone who attracts extremely rare things though."

She laughed softly, then asked him to continue.

"A Magic Bond often stems when young wizards and witches experience certain events together as they grow up. They used the word...traumatic."

Neither of them spoke for a moment. "Well, I suppose that fits." Amy said simply.

Draco grinned, "So basically, as we grew up so close, our magic grew up like...together. Our magic bonded, so it's more like one big strong magic versus two normal magics."

She considered his words, "So...what does that mean?"

He shrugged, "There hasn't really been enough cases that line up for them to say. One Magic Bond was between five children that grew up in the same foster home, another was between a girl and her cat. In one case the Magic Bond cause them to be able to speak to each other in their heads between great distances, another shared the metamorphmagus ability between both parties. One case even caused the two people to feel physical pain whenever they were more than three miles away from each other!"

"So this could mean anything?" Amelia asked, "Good or bad?"

"Anything." He repeated.

Draco and Amy thought for a good long while on this. They thought while Draco finished eating, and while they cleaned the dishes that had been left in the sink.

Finally, they finished thinking.

"We shouldn't tell anyone." Amelia said simply, "It's too dangerous. But we should keep a record on how this affects us."

Draco nodded, walking to a couch and sitting down, "So what do we know?"

Amy fetched a notebook from her school bags, "I can feel when you're injured...or when you have a huge outburst of emotion."

"I can feel whenever you experience pain...but I haven't gotten the emotion feeling yet." He continued, "When you...left...I felt a tearing sensation."

She quietly wrote this down.

Draco looked at her, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Draco."

He reached for her hand, and she gave it.

They stayed on the couch talking until midnight.

When he returned, he missed her again.


	9. Christmas

Christmas morning was supposed to be the best he'd ever had.

Amelia and him had made plans to follow some Muggle tradition, such as making snow angels or snow men. The day before they hadn't left each other's side the whole time, always in arms reach, exploring their limits of the bond, testing new things and laughing when nothing worked.

"I could have sworn I heard you say 'Bollocks'." Draco exclaimed an hour into their telepathy testing.

Amelia laughed, "That was Beetle, he's in the shed behind you."

He skidded to a stop downstairs, turning to go through the fireplace. The instant he had floo'd his way through, he felt the same unease he had felt that night during dinner.

"Amy?" He called out.

It was quiet, much to quiet...and was it colder than it should be? Yes, he was sure of it.

He stepped into the dark hall, "Amy?" Now he was scared, he hadn't felt her in any pain, what if-

"Surprise!"

Draco let out a very un-Malfoy like screech, as Amelia's small arms encircled his waist. "Amelia Adams what the _hell_ -"

"Look!"

He looked.

The kitchen had been decorated with muggle decorations of all sorts. Hanging lines of ribbon were strung around the walls and doorways, crudely cut paper christmas trees and stars were hung by strings from the chandelier over the table, and nearly every picture had a santa hat glued to the frame.

In the corner of the room, a large house plant had been 'engorgio'd' into existence, and little bobbles and trinkets hung from it's sad and drooping leafy limbs. Paper flowers, engorged earrings and a large string of popcorn wrapped around the bush, all of these showed how much painstaking effort Amy had put into this 'christmas tree'.

But the thing that caught Draco's eye was the kitchen table.

Oh, the table.

He was 7, would be 8 in a few months, and his appetite had grown with him. The small apple pie, chicken and plate of bacon strips was the best morning feast he could have imagined from such a young girl.

Amelia stood in front of him, watching his eyes anxiously as he lingered over every object in her kitchen. "Do you like it? I had to do a lot of it myself, mum got rid of Beetle last month but Bug was able to assist in most of the base decorations...and I convinced mum to help me with the tree...oh Draco say you like it, even if it's a lie, I worked too hard for this to-"

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "I love it." His small voice was muffled from her hair, but he didn't care.

"Oh I am that glad...I wanted to give you a wonderful christmas." She whispered, hugging him back as best she could with one arm stuck between their chests.

"I do, I really do love it...but, Amy, why go through all this?" Draco pulled away from her as something wet splashed onto his shoulder. With horror, he realized she had been crying very hard into his shoulder. "But...Amy, what's the matter?" He asked quickly, leading her to a chair.

It took a few moments for Amelia to calm down enough to speak, which scared Draco immensely. Amy nearly never cried, she had only done it twice since he had met her, and this wasn't just a cry. She was hysterical, unable to talk without hiccups of sobs bursting from her heart.

"M-Mum says I won't be c-coming to H...Hogw-warts with you." She whimpered out.

He didn't believe it, "She was just being mean, Amy. You know she loves to-"

"No, Draco!" Amy had leapt to her feet, her face full of emotion, blue eyes stormy with pain and sadness. "We're...we're selling the estate as soon as we can find a buyer, we're m-moving back to America as s-soon as I come back from school. Mum says we'll move back and I'll go to the American magical school…"

She was talking, he could see her talking.

He wouldn't believe it, he would not believe it.

Draco couldn't believe it.

He found himself sinking into a chair, one hand clutching the table with white knuckles. Amy had sunk to her knees in desperation, and now her voice came back to his ears as she began to plead. "Oh please don't be angry with me Draco, I tried for weeks to make her see sense...I tried to hard, I don't want to leave you!"

Her head was on his lap, and he nearly jumped up from the chair, "Why would I be angry at you? It's not your fault-"

"Oh but it is...if I hadn't gone to school mother wouldn't have to sell the estate, and I would still be-"

Draco lowered himself to the floor beside her and caught her chin with his hand, bringing her face up to look at him. "Please don't cry Amy...I can't bear to see you cry. We still have time, and I wouldn't ever be angry with you...oh don't cry Amelia…"

Crying women were something Draco felt completely lost around. Whenever his mother cried from his father's abuses he knew only one way to make her stop, but the flowers were all dead and gone in the garden, and…

Oh, now he knew.

Draco jumped up, and raced out of the room.

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

He had told Amelia to meet them on the opposite side of the lake. He had told her that he would tell the twins where to meet them. He had promised her they'd be there before the food got cold.

He had lied.

"Malfoy?"

Draco looked up at the two taller Weasley twins, and felt his convictions grip him. "Amelia has changed her mind...she doesn't wish to show you two anything." He grunted out.

One of them, possibly Fred, raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why the hell should we believe you?"

"Because Amy trusted me to tell you this." He replied cooley.

 _Don't let them see any more than you want them to see, Draco._

The other boy, George probably, stepped forward with a nearly dangerous look in his eyes. "Why the hell didn't she tell us this herself...better yet, why doesn't she tell us right now." He said in a low voice.

 _No fear in your eyes, not a speck of it. Only a cool indifference._

 _There's still time to back off, laugh and say you were joking, bring them to meet her-_

 _This is the only way we can keep Amelia safe, safe and ours._

Draco squared his shoulders, his last thoughts racing through his mind.

 _She'll never forgive you if she finds out._

 _Then we'll never let her find out._

"She doesn't trust you two, and I will admit part of it is my own advice...but she came to this decision by her own volition. You two troublemakers don't have the emotional depth to understand a woman of her stature, of her breeding. This afternoon was a mistake made from passion, and not from logic...and now she sees that she could never fully trust a pair of blood traitors."

He spat the last words like a true Malfoy. Was it pride or disgust he felt at that?

The twins stared down at him with less conviction then they had had moments before. Fred looked around, "I don't believe you."

Draco shrugged his shoulders, "If she really trusted you, wouldn't she be here? If she wanted to meet you wouldn't she be sitting waiting for you?"

George growled, "If you've done something to her-"

"Amelia possesses a kind of magic that is much more powerful than my own. I doubt I could even scratch her without her instant and painful retaliation." He added just the right amount of fear at the end for the concoction to be deadly.

They were starting to believe him.

"If...if you're lying-"

"Really Weasley, you think I'd waste my time and energy lying to a bunch of disgusting traitors like yourselves? I'm only here because Amy didn't feel safe telling the two of you herself." Draco lazily muttered, letting his eyelids droop slightly.

They were wavering.

"Malfoy, if you see her, tell her-"

"I am not an owl, and I certainly won't convey any information to her from you. She does not trust you and she certainly doesn't want anything to do with you."

He had won.

The twins turned and walked away, still suspicious of him but...but he knew he had won.

And Draco knew that it wasn't pride he felt.

* * *

He had left her.

Amy was sure of it. She was sobbing on the floor of the kitchen, completely fallen apart...and he'd left her all alone.

 _Awful boy, stupid boy, horrible boy_.

She knew he'd react this way. Who had time for her when she was leaving him, when _she_ was leaving _him_ behind. Now he had a chance to get even.

 _Terrible boy, asinine boy, torrential-_

Draco stumbled back into the kitchen, "Would you stop calling me horrible things while I'm trying to find this!" He grumbled out, sliding to a stop beside her.

Amelia stopped crying. "I...I thought you left."

"I gathered that." He muttered, propping himself up against the leg of a chair. "Come here."

She scooched forward, sliding under his open arm and allowing herself to be comforted.

"I found your stupid Muggle book." Draco whispered, leaning his head against hers. Her hair smelled like vanilla.

Amy looked up at him, "You don't hate me?"

"No Amy, I don't hate you."

They were silent as they settled, strangely comfortable on the cold floor with nothing but chair legs for their backs.

Draco cleared his throat, opening the first pages of their book.

And he read to her.

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents, grumbled Jo, lying on the rug…"

* * *

 _The poll will be released next chapter!_

 _Remember to Review!  
_


	10. Lost

Amelia had packed up everything in her room. She'd packed the library completely, boxes of books spilling around her. She'd packed the kitchen as well, all by herself. Pots and pans, cook books and other such thing.

The whole house was barren now.

Amy watched as later that day the wizard movers transported their things here and there. Now all she had was a small bag of her necessities, and the book she had come to treasure.

With only these things on her, she transported herself to the Malfoy home, flooing into the room.

Draco stood from where he had been sitting on the step. He had a backpack around his shoulders.

Amy looked at him with a worried expression on her face, "I...are you sure about this?"

He had a determined look in his eyes, "I wont lose my best friend."

Together, they exited out the door into the starry night, and called the Knight Bus.

* * *

 **Hogwarts**

He was watching her closely, closer then he should be but he couldn't help it. Every time there was a noise her blond hair would whip to one side, her eyes searching the woods around them for a sign her boys were coming.

"Amelia...they must have forgotten." Draco said softly, refusing to meet her eyes as she looked at him.

She shook her head, "They don't forget."

The silence was deafening. Amelia was getting more and more hopeless, the bright color in her cheeks she had shown before now drained. She looked shallow, tired...he hadn't seen how the bags under her eyes stood out with the straight, light hair that looked so strange on her head.

"Amelia, they aren't coming." Draco said, a feeling of finality in his voice.

She nodded, "I know."

Neither of them moved for an hour, the weight of betrayal hanging in the air. He could change this, he could admit what he had done.

 _Tell her now and she'll smile, she'll say she understood...she might reprimand you but she'll forgive you._

 _But if you tell her now, you will show your weakness. She'll know of your jealous, of your feelings...she'll scorn you._

 _She isn't like that!_

 _She's a Gryffindor, Draco._

And so they parted ways silently, guilt in Draco's heart.

Amelia's heart, however, was burning with anger. It was an unjust anger, there was always a good reason to miss things...but this hurt. This was painful, and this stung. She felt scorned, like her abilities warranted no response.

The next day, however, the two boys showed signs of the same feelings.

Neither twin showed to take her to breakfast, so she joined Hermione, Ron and Harry. The trio lightened her mood considerably, but any time her eyes strayed to Fred or George they wouldn't meet her gaze. That was even more painful.

Classes were even more grim, for the absence of the trickster twins did not go unnoticed. They skipped classes here and there, but Hermione saw how Amelia's eyes scanned the room repeatedly.

"Amy, what's bothering you?" It was Harry who asked, probably with a nudge from his friend.

She turned to him, "Harry...do people here often hear about wandless magic?"

Hermione lit up, "Oh not at all! It's even rarer here then in America, your lot get it 2% more than we do!"

Ron leaned over, "What's wandless magic? Like...is it what it sounds like?"

His smarter friend replied for Amy, "Wandless magic is the ability to conjure spells without the need for a wand. Most regular spells must be spoken, but the wizard or witch who can use this rare form of magic usually can conjure blasts of pure magical energy within their hands simply by thinking. It's the rarest kind of magic to possess, more than being a metamorphmagus!"

Harry turned to Amy, "How'd you hear about it?"

"Is there somebody in Ilvermorny who can do it?" Hermione pressed.

Amy nodded, "Oh yes, she's quite a nice girl. Hasn't reported it to the ministry yet though."

The rest of class was passed talking about Amelia's 'friend'. If only they knew.

That afternoon, Amy saw the boys enter a courtyard. She struck quickly, making sure they couldn't escape her questions.

"What the hell happened last night? You missed dinner, which I wouldn't mind if you weren't walking around today avoiding me like the plague!" She hissed, marching right up to the sheepish boys who quite suddenly turned confused.

Fred grinned, "I knew it, I knew he was bluffing!"

George sighed, "I should have...damn slytherin-"

"Hello?" She interrupted, "Answers, now."

The two looked at each other with broad smiles. Finally, Fred began.

"We did go to where the dinner was supposed to be, but instead of you and food and unregistered magic, we found Malfoy." He exclaimed, probably louder than he should have.

George nodded, lowering his voice as he spoke. "And Malfoy told us you'd written us off, and didn't want anything more to do with us...well we were sure he was lying."

"Thought it might even be a test!" Fred joined in, "But he really had George convinced."

The other twin laughed, "Oh, just me than?"

Fred shrugged, "Maybe for a few seconds."

But now Amelia stepped in, "Wait...Draco told me he waited for you two, but you didn't show...so he sent an owl, but it came back to him without any reply or letter."

Both boys shook their head, "He really had us." Fred grumbled.

"Bugger told us you'd never trust us...but you trust us. Right Amy?"

Now both pairs of eyes were on her, and Amy felt a blush rise in her cheeks. "I...I do. Which is why I believe what you're saying about Draco." She surprised herself at these words. "But why would he do that? And why didn't he tell me...when he sees me so distraught he always tells me the truth."

George smiled in a mischevous way, "We had you distraught, Amelia?"

Fred mirrored his brother, "We didn't realize you cared so much."

Amy's eyes widened, "No! I mean, yes I care for you two...ah that is to say, I care about you two lots, but not that much...wait, no not _not_ that much, just not-"

The boys' laughter made her stop her spluttering. "Alright, let's try this again. Tonight, you come meet us the only place we know people won't be."

She raised an eyebrow, "And where's that?"

"The kitchens!" George replied, slinging an arm around her right shoulder.

"When there's no food to be made, the house elves usually scurry off to somewhere else in the dungeons and leave the kitchen empty as can be." Fred explained, throwing his arm over her left shoulder.

Amelia grinned, "It's settled then...I'll be there in a few hours. First I have another explanation to get."

She waited until after their last class to confront Draco. He looked nearly smug, talking to another group of Slytherins with a sneer on his face. Amy felt he was unrecognizable like this.

"Malfoy!" She said harshly.

Draco froze. The other Slytherins around him crossed their arms and looked especially punchable to Amy.

"Amy...what do you want." The question came out in an almost mean way, and Amelia looked taken aback for a moment.

"I want to know that the hell you were on last night with Fred and George." She hissed.

His face fell. In one movment he had grabbed her hand, and started marching towards another part of the castle...but Amy ripped her hand from his. "Enough!"

Her voice was louder than she'd anticipated. Faces all around them turned to watch, and she shrunk into herself.

Draco was trapped. He should look regal in front of his Slytherin peers, words would fly if he let Amelia treat him so...but she didn't know this, he couldn't hurt her.

 _You've already hurt her. Why hurt your reputation in the process?_

For once, his better side refused to answer.

"D-don't talk to me like that…" His voice cracked, he was losing his nerve under her harsh gaze. Draco had to do this...he needed this. He needed the others to know she didn't make him weak.

Her eyes were full of hurt, of betrayal, of confusion. "Draco, what has gotten into you?" Amelia's voice was low, she took a step towards him.

Blaise's eyes met his. Draco knew what he had to do, to keep Slytherin on his side.

"What's gotten into me? What about you, Adams." He bit out. A crowd was growing, onlookers fighting to hear the words he was speaking. He wish he couldn't hear himself. "You're the blood traitor."

She flinched. He had to keep going.

"Consorting with blood traitors, with _mudbloods_...you ruin your families name. You should be thanking me for trying to get those disgusting Weasleys off your back last night, it'll make you less revolting to be around. I mean really Adams, a pureblood of your standing...you should have chosen your friends a bit more carefully. But now you're tainted...why should I answer anything you've got to say?"

Blaise nodded, a grin across his face.

Amelia's eyes…

But he wouldn't look at them. He looked at her forehead and finished. "You disgust me. Get out of my sight."

But Amy didn't get out of his sight. She walked forwards, and he found himself rooted to the spot as an unspoken 'Immobulus' spell held him for a few moments. She was right in front of him, her face inches from his…

The sting of a slap echoed through the room. Several students let out a sympathetic 'oooh…' at the nails had left shallow marks across his left cheek, the handprint red against his pale skin. She was boiling with anger, she could destroy him in this moment. Just a few words would bring him to his knees, if they were from her. Surely she knew this, surely this was the end of his reputation.

Amelia could do it. She felt it in her bones, she felt his fear, felt the sting of her own slap on her cheek. She _could_ do it, she _would_ -

Two boys caught the corner of her eyes. They stood at the front of the circle, ginger hair and brown eyes. Amelia took a last look at Draco and turned.

The crowd watched Amy walk to the twins and take George's in hers. Fred's arm wrapped around her side, his head leaning in and whispering words of solace to her as they walked from the hallway.

Draco felt thin streaks of blood filling on his cheek, and a thick choking tightness in his throat.

He'd lost her.

* * *

"Let go!"

Amelia's voice was the only thing keeping Draco from falling into a panic attack. The anxiety mounted between them, the bond continually raising it. He felt pain in both his wrists, one clutched by his father, the other what Amy was feeling from her mother.

Both children felt squeezed through a tube as they dissipated from the Leaky Cauldron. They landed in the Malfoy living room without their bags, without the owl they had taken from Amy's room and the three gallions Draco had left stuffed under their pillow.

The plan had started brilliantly. Running away was scary, but they had agreed it was the only way for the children to keep each other safe.

Once they'd called the Knight Bus they would go to the Leaky Cauldron and stay for the night. Then they'd take the muggle train up north to where Draco knew a distant aunt lived, although he couldn't remember her first name. Tonks...something. It was quite a long name.

But the owner of the Leaky Cauldron had quickly called Draco's parents once he saw the boy...as any responsible adult would.

Well Draco realized that now, but at the time the plan had been foolproof.

Now his father shoved Draco forward, Amy to his left. "Mum, he didn't mean it, he just wanted to make sure I would be safe, it's not his fault…" Amelia cried beside him.

It was then he did something very stupid. He told the truth. "No, that's not true. I was the one who convinced her to come, she kept saying it was stupid...it's not Amy's fault it's mine." He said quietly.

His father smacked Draco across the side of the head, sending his son to the floor. Amy screamed, holding her head where blood was sliding down Draco's cheek.

Both parents stopped.

"A bond, Lucius...I knew it was true, I knew it would work." Amelia's mother shrieked in a cold joy.

The older Malfoy showed a rare chilling smile, "A magic bond...perhaps it would be wise to keep them together, Miss Adams. It could grow strong-"

"And show them they can get what they want? Show them they can disobey me and not reap the consequences? Oh you stupid boy you've ruined it all…" The woman cried, filling the room with her voice. Her eyes were on Draco as she grabbed Amelia's wrists again, "If you had told us we wouldn't have to do this...oh we surely wouldn't. But now we must."

Draco was sure his father was grinding his teeth as the old woman continued to lament, but he didn't care.

Now it was clear to him, exactly how stupid he had been. He could have been rational, he could have-

Both the Adams women disappeared. Draco let out a cry and stumbled forward, as if to follow the two...but his father's arm caught him in the chest.

"When will I see her again?" He whimpered.

His father looked at him with no emotion. "You will not. They leave in the morning."

Draco was led to his room. He wouldn't leave it for a week. He wouldn't leave the house for another month. He wouldn't hear from Amelia for a long time after.

Miss Adams kept her word. She didn't return to the UK again. Her daughter was kept from sending letters. The two were seperated.

Draco knew it was his fault.

Draco had done it.

And not for the last time in his life, Draco had lost her.

* * *

 _The poll has been posted! remember, this decides where Amelia will spend her summer holidays with!_

 _I will be taking a week long hiatus, chapters will be back to their regular upload schedule (1-3 days until posts) immediately afterwards._

Remember to Review!


	11. Her Way

_Inspiration: This Is Home || Cavetown_

Amelia had spent the last three days in what the twins called 'her version of moping'.

Every morning Amy woke up an hour later than she usually did, still getting up earlier than most of the students in Gryffindor. She'd follow the twins to breakfast, do whatever classes the morning held for her, and then head to the library.

Neither boy really payed attention to her choices in literature, but were content to wait at most 1 hour for her to finish be boring. Then they attacked, forcing her from the library to some other exciting place. This could range between an afternoon out in the cold air, playing in the snow and returning with rosy cheeks and laughter in their eyes, to something simpler like a meeting with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

The twins seemed to always hold the medicine to the pain Amy was feeling inside, and she was addicted to it.

"So...which one do you like?" Hermione asked one afternoon in the library. Ron and Harry had abandoned her for the twins, and both girls refused to join them on whatever excursion they had been planning. The two sat peacefully in the library, finding solace in the rustling of pages and smell of parchment.

Amy's head popped up, "Uh...sorry, can you repeat that?"

Hermione smirked in her knowing way, "Oh come on Amy, Ron's convinced you have a thing for Fred, but I think it's George. Am I right?"

"For once, neither of you are right. I don't...like either of them like _that_. They're just my friends." Amelia stated simply.

The girl across from her raised her eyebrows, "Amelia, it's just me, you can tell me! I'm your friend aren't I?"

Amelia raised her hands in joking defense, "It's true! For once in this world a girl is actually just friends with two cute guys, crazy right?"

"See, you called them cute!" Hermione whispered, leaning over her book.

"I never said I was blind, 'Mione." Amelia replied coolly.

This sent both girls into a fit of giggles.

Life at Hogwarts was changing Amelia. For the first time in her life she wasn't scared to eat in front of others, to lounge and lay about for long periods of time, to be lazy...to be comfortable. Her mind and body found this incredibly relaxing, and her magic showed it, as did her grades.

Although some of them dropped slightly, certain homework assignments were marked as 'ingenuitive' and a 'new perspective'. In a way, she was braver.

And the Twins were helping her find that bravery.

She'd play her first prank on the fifth wednesday of her Hogwarts life, laughing as the familiar paint cans dropping over Lavender Brown's robes. Her reactions nearly got them caught, but the thrill of the escape had her asking for more chances to join the extreme pranksters in their escapades...but that was now very hard to do so.

Professor Umbridge was having a wonderful time attempting to catch Amelia at any number of awful, expellable things that Amy was certainly not participating in. Often Amy would find herself in a detention she didn't deserve, but McGonagall was always the professor she would spend that time with.

It was when she learned of the painful ways Umbridge punished her students that Amelia felt a burning hatred for the woman.

Amy entered the common room late with the twins to find Hermione soaking Harry's hand in a bowl of warm water. "What happened?" Fred asked, his eyes sparkling with merriment, "You go too quick in the showers?"

George elbowed his laughing brother, "Nah mate, probably frostbite from quidd...what the bloody hell did you do to your-"

Harry and Hermione shushed them quickly, "Not another word about it if you're gonna announce it to the whole common room." The chosen boy whispered frantically, "It's not that bad."

The twins clustered around him, George took the hand out of the water and looked at it with a worried curiosity. "Dean Thomas was talking about this...I must not tell lies thing, he said she used blood as ink with this quill thing-"

"The Black Quill." Amelia said softly.

Four heads turned in amazement towards her. "She never…" Fred started.

"She didn't!" George exclaimed.

Amy shook her head, " _She_ hasn't...but unfortunately I've...that is to say, I've read on it before."

None of them were convinced, but Amelia ignored them. She sat beside Harry and took his hand from George's, placing it back into the water. "Where's Ron?"

"Getting some dittany." Hermione said nervously, "I hope he doesn't get caught…"

Ron burst through through the hole a second later, breathing hard. "Almost got cornered by Filch! This should last us a week at least."

"At the rate Harry's going, it won't last a few days." Hermione quipped, fumbling with the cork.

Amy held out a hand, "Let me...I've used it before."

The five pairs of eyes in the room watched her curiously as she poured a few drops of the essence into the water itself, then took her hand and gently squeezed Harry's wrist. He crumpled up his nose, expecting pain...but it was only a twinge as the skin started to heal. "How did you do that?"

"Learned it from experience. It's like brushing your hair I guess, when you hold the roots close to your head it doesn't hurt as much when you hit a snag."

Watching the letters fade, Amelia felt memory take over. She took out Harry's hand, then after 25 seconds returned it to the healing water. At some point she caught herself humming something quietly as she continued the care.

The twins settled themselves on the couch opposite Amelia and Harry, while Ron perched himself on Hermione's chair. "What's that song?" Hermione asked, smiling slightly as she witnessed any tension drain from Amy's face.

"It's an old song...The Sailor Bold I think it's called. Draco...Draco's mum would hum it sometimes." She corrected herself quickly. "It's just an old song we got used to hearing."

Ron inhaled quickly, sitting upright as he woke from the almost-sleep he had been lulled to. "Oh...ah...I should probably-"

"Get some rest, Weasley." Amelia reprimanded softly, "You too, boys." Her eyes turned and locked on the twins, who grumbled and started up the stairs with farewells. Ron joined them, waving to his friends before disappearing around a bend.

Hermione was next to leave, promising Harry she would help him with his potions scroll the next morning.

Amelia and Harry sat quietly for another half hour, listening to the tune Amelia continued to follow. He was getting tired, but Amy could tell he didn't want to sleep.

It was the way he stared boldly into the lit fireplace, as if daring it to extinguish. The way his hand shook from exhaustion, and the way he forced his eyes to remain open.

"Nightmares?" Amy queried, smiling softly as he turned to look at her quickly.

"Ah...yea, I guess you could say that." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Harry's eyes danced around the room as if dying to light on anything of importance to point out, to change the conversation.

Amelia set the water down, taking the small towel beside her and wrapping his hand in it. "They aren't anything to be ashamed of, Harry. You've got a lot of questions...more then any teenager should have...and just know if you ever need someone to talk to about it, I'm here. I may not understand it, but I'll listen to you talk."

He finally looked her in the eyes, and found nothing but kindness. There was no pity, for she didn't pity him in the least...but there was an understanding.

Harry nodded, "I'll ah...keep that in mind."

Amy smiled, then stood to her feet. "I'd keep this in your bag if I were you...might come in handy." She handed him the essence of dittany...and than it slipped.

Her hands were still wet, she hadn't dried them. The bottle fell towards the ground, Harry went to reach for it...and than the bottle had stopped moving.

An inch from the ground it hovered, levitating in the air as if waiting for Harry to catch up to it.

The second his hand firmly grasped the bottle it returned to it's normal gravity. Harry turned and looked behind him for the Gryffindor who had 'Wingardiumed' his essence...but nobody was there. He looked long and hard around the room, and than down at Amelia's hands for the wand he had surely missed earlier.

There was no wand.

His eyes traveled up and looked at Amy's, and blue met blue.

She was scared. He could see it, she was terrified of something. Perhaps he hadn't seen the person who had caught the bottle, perhaps she didn't know how it had happened either...but all of these theories were shattered as she spoke.

"Please...don't tell anyone."

And as Amelia fled up the stairs, Harry realized who her mysterious 'wandless magic' friend had been.

* * *

4 months had passed since Draco Malfoy had last heard from his best friend.

No, that wasn't completely true. A letter had been sent by her mother to his which had entailed a small note for him. It had obviously been extremely supervised.

 _Dear Mr. Malfoy_

 _I dearly miss you and hope to see you again someday soon. I hope my absence will indeed make our hearts fonder._

 _Sincerely, Mrs. Adams._

However cold and un-Amy like it had been, he still kept it in a small box under his dresser, along with the other smuggled contraband Amelia and he had taken from their adventures.

Draco knelt on the floor and pulled the thing out, locking his door and turning to the bed. He opened the dark oak box and carefully lay out each item on the bed, organizing them by their looks rather then by their timeline. He had memorized each object by now, refusing to lose Amelia in even these simple ways.

There was a broken black rock that Amy had insisted was an Indian arrowhead. Draco had found this at the bank of the faux river that the house elves had been magically building over several days in their garden.

He picked up a coca-cola bottle cap that he had promised to make into a necklace for her.

That was something he daily regretted.

A golf ball that had somehow ended up in Amelia's window box, a fist sized glass orb that didn't quite match the colors that were on any side of it at once, a straw doll with a small purple vest…

Each item was his and Amy's memories, their own personal pensive into a past that he refused to forget.

Draco sat on the bed and looked out at the garden.

The sun was setting. The flowers were starting to bloom, the trees blossom...spring was here and nearly gone.

He would be 8 soon.

* * *

 _I know, I'm obsessed with Cavetown.  
Thank you to everyone who have been reviewing! I'll be answering some questions at chapter 15, so start asking them now in Reviews!_

 _One of my favorite things to do is find inspiration for each chapter. Unfortunately that can't happen all the time, BUT I have some news coming up at chapter 13 so keep your eyes open for that._

 _Remember to review!_


	12. Wandless Wordless

_Inspiration: Magic || Sia_

Amelia could finally breathe only once she was certain Harry had stayed quiet about the night she used wandless magic.

For the first few days she pretended to be sick, even taking one of Fred and George's puking pasties to prove it to Madame Pomfrey. She was isolated in the ward for 24 hours, and her sickness was deemed a stomach bug soon after. After her exit of the hospital she spent 2 days after that avoiding ever leaving the library, terrified of someone storming into the room demanding answers.

Fred and George had been told all at once on the fourth day of avoidance in the middle of an empty hall.

"Alright Adams, what's up? You're skipping class. You never skip class." Accused George, standing in front of her with his arms crossed.

Amy scoffed and turned on her heel, only to find Fred blocking that way too. "I skip when I feel like it! Come on boys, let's go...um…"

"You can't even remember where we were taking you!" Fred laughed, "You've been avoiding our favorite chosen boy since…what, did you kiss him or something?"

The last line was nearly accusatory, and Amelia stepped back. "What? No I didn't _kiss_ him, you're an idiot." She retorted, attempting to dive past him when he was distracted.

Fred grabbed her arm and spun her like a dancer back into the center of their two-piece circle. George stepped forward and leaned against the wall, "Come on Amy, you gotta tell us sometime."

"I...well...oh...Harry saw me use wandless _and_ wordless magic to save the bottle of dittany from crashing all over the floor...which he probably wouldn't have even realized was _me_ if I hadn't kept my big stupid mouth shut. And now he might tell the whole bloody school about it, or he'll tell Hermione and she'll never-"

"Woah, woah, take a breath!" George interrupted her, placing a hand on her arm, "Harry won't tell anyone. He's a good bloke, and he knows how to keep a secret."

Fred walked around to stand next to his twin, leaning on George's shoulder. "I agree completely. We could talk to him if you'd like, tell him to leave it alone…"

"No! Oh don't do that, what if he still doesn't know!"

Fred's hands flew up defensively, "Okay okay, just an idea."

Amy groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "No one knows about my magic, not even my mum. It's just you two and Dra...Malfoy." She stuttered over the word slightly, pushing past the regret. "If it got out, I could be sent to Azkaban for not reporting myself to the Ministry, and heavens knows I can't do _that_ , I'd be some sort of freak!"

The boys each swung to one side of Amy, linking arms with her as they began to walk. "Why don't you let us be the judge of that." George said decisively, turning a corner towards the dungeons.

"If you're gonna call yourself something without asking other people's opinion on the matter, then don't bother labeling yourself." Fred continued in a knowledgeable tone.

Amy knew it was fruitless to struggle against the twins, "I can't go into potions late, it'll be worse than skipping!"

"We aren't going to potions…" Fred mused.

"We're going somewhere much better!" George exclaimed, turning another corner with an excited skip in his step.

"You are going to show us exactly what you can do." Fred continued.

"And then we can tell you whether you're a 'freak' or not." George finished.

The kitchen was empty of house elves in seconds, and the two boys had drawn up tiny chairs a moment later. They looked rather ridiculous, squatting so low to the ground, sitting on chairs that looked like they'd been constructed of matchsticks. But, her twins weren't about to miss what they were sure would be a wonderful show!

Amy stepped back, standing in front of the fireplace awkwardly. "So uh...what do you want me to show you first, the wordless, the wandless-"

"Both." The twins decided unanimously.

"Right...both." Amy muttered, placing her wand on the table to her right.

First she closed her fist and opened it, a ball of soft blue wisp of energy appearing in her open palm. She swished it around a bit, letting it drop from her palm as her other hand began controlling it. Amelia's fingers weaved the orb from space to space in the room, looking almost like a snitch of some sort. It darted around her body, then it flitted around Fred and George's head. Fred reached out to touch it and pulled his burnt finger back quickly, sucking on the painful part.

"It's rather hot, might not want to touch it." Amy reported, a sheepish look on her face.

Fred grumbled, "Yea, I know that _now_."

Now Amy cause the ball to shape and move, to spread and change into a small, clear wall. It was barely taller than Amy, and it spanned only 5 feet in length, but the twins looked incredulous.

"So this is like a shield charm...but mine is more visible I guess. I can move it and shape it a little bit, but once it's placed I can only really take it down or put it up. I have to know what it's protecting for it to seriously work." Amy explained simply.

Her 'magic show' continued for another hour, showing the boys her knack for unlocking anything they could attempt to lock. She showed them how she could create faux birds to fly and soar above their heads, how she could cast the spells Fred and George knew with only a raise of a finger and a thought. Her immobulus charm froze Fred in place with such finality that his muscles felt sore.

An empty glass shattered under one of Amelia's stronger spells, and she decided it was enough for the day.

The three exited the kitchen and walked back up towards the common room. "So...is it decided?" Amy asked, looking at Fred and George.

The twins grinned, "Very much so." George started.

"By the powers invested in us…" Fred said dramatically.

"Which aren't as cool as the power invested in you…" Remarked George, turning to Amy.

"We have agreed…"

"That you are not a freak." The two finished together, smiling like the big goofballs they were.

Amelia clutches a hand over her heart, "Oh thank goodness, I was _so_ worried." She joked, rolling her eyes as George pretended to be hurt.

"Oi, are you calling our incessant input unnecessary?" Fred asked, huffing slightly in an offended manner.

Amelia sighed, "I must admit, it is rather...boreish."

All three of them laughed their way to back to the common room, where homework and books would smother them once more.

That afternoon, Dolores Umbridge became known as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

"Everyone's talking about it." Dean Thomas hissed over the breakfast table the next morning, "Umbridge can fire half the bloody school if she wants to!"

George grinned, "I doubt Dumbledore will let her fire anyone, Dean...he's _Dumbledore_ isn't he?"

Amelia looked up the table at the spot where the toad-like woman sat, chewing on a bit of toast. "If she can control the teachers, she's getting more control over us. Next thing you know it'll be like a...like a kind of America school." She trailed off, and Fred took up the conversation.

"If Umbridge things she can take over Hogwarts and it's students, she's got another thing coming. Now...I'm thinking we should show her that."

Dean snorted, "Yea? And how do you suggest that?"

The twins shared a look over the table. "We'll tell you." Fred muttered.

"In the common room this afternoon." George whispered.

Amelia spent the rest of the morning with something to focus on other then the now nearly unbearable sight of Draco sneering in her direction, or kissing Pansy Parkinson. It was as if he couldn't stand being in the same room as her and see her happy.

Sometimes she wondered if her happiness _hurt_ him, as they had hurt each other.

Once the morning was over, Amelia and Dean tumbled into the common room and found Fred and George in the corner, holding slips of paper.

"Hogsmeade?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Hogsmeade." The twins replied together.

Amelia felt a little bit of something shrink. "You need...permission for that, right? From a parent?"

The boys nodded, but glossed over her question. "Hermione is getting together a group that wants to learn defense against the dark arts...and Harry will be teaching it."

"Harry? Blimey, I'll join." Dean said simply.

The three boys chatted for an hour on the subject, Amelia seemingly forgotten. When Dean left, however, the two turned to her apologetically. "Sorry about that." George mumbled.

Fred nodded, "Hermione said we had to have Dean completely on board with it, so he wouldn't go telling the school...but now we need to convince you-"

"I would if I could...but I don't think my mother would really approve of me going to Hogsmeade. And she certainly wouldn't sign a paper-"

"You don't need your mother, Amy!" George laughed. "You're talking to the previous owners of the...well, the only map of Hogwarts there is. And Hogwarts is nothing if not connected to Hogsmeade."

Amelia blinked, "So...you can get me to Hogsmeade?"

Fred grinned at her, "Amelia we can not only get you there, but we can get you back in no time at all."

It should have been a more difficult decision to make. Sneaking out of Hogwarts through secret passageways, entering Hogsmeade without proper clearance...all of it was dangerous and foolish. She should send a letter to Hermione telling her she would join, and to go ahead and sign her up...she should turn the boys down.

Life at Hogwarts was changing Amelia.

The twins were changing Amelia.

"I'm in."

* * *

She was there.

Amelia's red hair was shining through a gap in the crowd. Diagon Alley was packed full, and Draco felt smaller then he should beside his mother. In fact he felt too small, like no one would see him if he slipped and fell.

But Amelia was right there, and Draco mustered up all the courage he had. He let go of his mother's hand and ran through the crowd, determined to find her.

Twists and turns, shops that he couldn't remember having an exit out the back...this Diagon Alley was strange to him, nothing was as he remembered. But Amelia's hair was getting closer, and Amelia with it.

A push and a shove...and he was through.

The crowd around him vanished, but he didn't even register that. She was standing with her back to him on a cliffside. Muffled voices behind her said things that hurt, and he felt a hand on his back.

Draco was falling. He turned in mid air to face upwards, and saw the cliff Amy had been standing on growing smaller. As he turned back around he saw long yellow expanse of a field below him growing closer.

He sat bolt upright in his bed.

3 hours later, Draco was begging his still groggy mother to listen to him.

7 hours after he had awoken, an owl had been sent to Mrs. Adams.

Time passed, and Draco was helpless. He could still feel the falling sensation in his stomach, could still feel the wind in his eyes.

18 after the nightmare, Draco was informed of the following in a letter he received from Amelia's mother.

" _Amelia's class had been set to spend a holiday weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She found herself in a yet unexplained accident, and fell off one of the smaller cliffs. We had been uninformed of this before your letter arrived, and Amelia is now being rightly treated at St. Mungos. Amelia will be spending 2 weeks there for recovery."_

8 year old Draco Malfoy sank to the floor, and cried.

12 hours after the letter had arrived, Draco found himself pushing past doctors and nurses to the bedside of his best friend.

They wouldn't be separated again for the 2 months left within the year.

Amelia would recover perfectly, and never tell her mother which student pushed her from the side of that cliff.

And Draco would be reassured that he would see her again very soon.

He'd found her again. He'd found his best friend, and everything felt right in this world. Amelia and Draco were together again, Amelia and Draco wouldn't be taken from each other again.

That's what was known by 8 year old Draco Malfoy, on the 1st of October 1988. It wasn't the truth, but it was all the 8 year old boy and girl needed to know in 1988.

He had found her again.

* * *

 _Possibly the most difficult chapter I've had to write...but that's alright. I made it through, and now we're getting to the real plot stuff._

 _From here on out, Amelia can and will impact the events of the Harry Potter series. So be warned._

 _In other news, there's a poll out on my profile! Please answer it! It will impact a LOT about how the story goes, I'm letting you all have a choose your own adventure moment but I need you to take advantage of it!_

 _I'll also be having a Q &A at chapter 15, send them in via Review if you want anything answered! I'll be giving a shout out to each person who submits something. Also keep an eye out for the next chapter, cause I'll have something then as well._


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